Learning to Deal
by 1234tvd1234
Summary: Waking up one morning to see that you have forever committed yourself to the one person you cannot stand is hard enough. Then to only to find out that you are going to have to spend the next nine months dealing with each other to convince the judge and their parents they tried to make amends is going to be harder than Stefan and Elena bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

Elena groaned as she rolled over in bed trying to get away from the sunlight. It was way too bright and too early in her book to even be awake at the moment. There was a huge pounding in her head and her whole body was aching. She wasn't sure what she did last night but she knew it must have been a hell of a time considering her current state. Rolling over though she crashed into something hard, yet soft and it was not the pillows. Her eyes opened wide to figure it out. There was a naked man beside her, he looked awfully familiar but he wasn't supposed to be there. She wasn't supposed to be anywhere near this man beside her.

"Oh shit." Elena whispered. "Oh shit oh shit oh shit." She removed herself from the bed only to find herself completely naked. If her heart wasn't pounding to begin with it was surely about to beat right out of her chest. Searching the room for her clothes she didn't seem to recognize the room. As if things couldn't get any worse in her book. She was naked, apparently slept with the one guy she could not stand, and she was in a strange place. This was not his room or her room so she had no clue where they were. Her friends were probably wondering where she was. Elena looked around the room to see what a disaster it was, clothes were everywhere and things were knocked all around. This could not be happening to her. Elena grabbed the blanket on the floor wrapping it around herself searching for her cell phone. She needed to find a way to get out of here before he woke up. This was one conversation she did not want to have at the moment, or ever at that. "Where the hell are my clothes?"

"Looking for these?" She heard his voice as she slowly turned around to see a black lacy thong hanging from his finger. The smirk he had on his face is something she wanted to slap off at the moment but it was also what probably got her into this trouble in the first place. She took the time to look him over to see that he was sitting up in the bed with the sheets falling over his lower half revealing his sculpted chest. He had bed head like crazy, or was it a mess because she couldn't keep her hands out of it last night? Running her hands through her hair she cursed under her breath. Since when did she cuss so much?

She marched over to him using one hand to hold the sheet and the other to snatch her underwear from him, but he quickly grabbed her hand so she couldn't pull away. With a confused face he looked down to see a ring on her left hand. His eyes grew wide at the ring that was there. It was his family ring with their family crest on it. What in the hell had exactly happened last night? Her eyes followed his and her heart started to pound again. She was sure she was going to have a heart attack because that ring never came off this man's finger. It was something passed down for generations in their family and no one ever got to wear it, you could get a ring made with the crest in it but this ring in particular was meant for no one but the men in the family. Elena knew the story behind the ring and she knew what it meant and she also knew what it meant for a woman to wear the family crest. This was not good at all. Obviously the ring was too big for her, but apparently the two had bought a spacer for it so she could wear it. His eyes rose to meet hers and his green eyes held just as much fear as hers.

"Stefan…" She whispered when she felt the tears coming to her eyes.

"What did we do?" He asked. He looked down at his hand to see there was a silver band around his ring finger. He pushed the covers off of him jumping up revealing himself to Elena who was too shocked to take in the sight of him. "Elena we can't be married." He searched for his clothes. Stefan rummaged around the room throwing things in frustration until he found his boxers slipping them on and tossed Elena her dress which was ripped. Finding his shirt from the night before which happened to be a white button up he handed it to her.

"My parents are going to kill me." Elena cried. She buttoned up most of the shirt because she guessed in the heat of the moment she had ripped the shirt from him.

Stefan pulled his pants on and sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Elena sat beside him crying. She was sure she heard him crying too and it was something Stefan never did. The two just sat soaking in the fact that they got married last night.

"This was supposed to be a trip to remember and now I don't ever want to think about it again." Elena said aloud. It was true they had decided to take their senior trip a week before school started because they knew after graduation everyone would go their separate ways and this couldn't happen. Everyone saved up all of junior year and the whole summer to make the trip happen.

"I guess what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas." Stefan said with no emotion.

"We weren't even supposed to go to Vegas." Elena said. They were only supposed to spend a week in California. Who's bright idea was it to make a last minute trip to Vegas before leaving? Oh yeah it was the man beside her and his crazy ass friend Lexi. Elena loved Lexi but the girl was a mess always looking for a good time.

"We can get an annulment." Stefan said as it suddenly hit him. "We just have to tell them that we are only seniors in high school and just eighteen. They have to annul it."

"And what do you suppose we tell them? That we hate each other but when we get drunk we tend to sleep together? So we can't be married because we were drunk off our asses and ended up in Vegas? Stefan they won't buy it."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Stefan said with frustration.

"I think we need to call someone. Stefan we need help."

"Who can I call Elena? Damon? Yeah that will be real good he will just laugh and tell me to stick it out. He's just like your pain in the ass sister."

Elena's head shot up at that and Stefan gave her a pointed look. "I know." She sighed.

"But it's our only hope. Katherine may be a bitch but she has a heart somewhere in there."

"You sure about that?" Elena couldn't help but to let out a small laugh at his question. Their brother and sister were a match made in heaven.

"Stefan, I can't call my parents and ask them for help. They will be so disappointed in me. They were already not even happy about the trip to California to begin with. They were really skeptical when I mentioned your name."

Stefan rolled his eyes of course the Gilbert's didn't trust him. They really had a reason not to now.

"You are not even my boyfriend." Elena softly said. The words stung Stefan because she was right. One of his best friends was dating Elena now. "He's going to hate me."

"He loves you." Stefan told her. "He'll forgive you and we don't even have to tell him."

Elena started crying and Stefan tensed up. He didn't know what to do to fix this problem but he knew he had to figure something out to fix this. It was probably his fault to begin with that they were in this situation he was sure of it. Elena had a problem of always competing with him. He usually played it in his favor and it looks like last night he had. She didn't deserve what he had done.

"I'll call Damon, can you please call Lexi? She will keep everyone stalled and maybe be able to bring us our suitcases. I'll fix this Elena." Stefan promised, but for some reason Elena already knew there was nothing they could do. She nodded going to find her phone while Stefan got his.

After a long conversation with Damon who practically screamed at him through the phone agreed to help the two out. Damon was going to make a few phone calls and see what all he could do while Katherine was going to do the same. Stefan made the two promise not to utter a word even if they could not get the marriage annulled because the last thing that needed to be going around town was that Elena had married Stefan Salvatore.

"Lexi is coming." Elena said.

"Damon and Katherine our working their wicked magic." Stefan sighed running his fingers through his hair.

About five minutes later there was a knock on the door and Stefan went to answer it. "What in the hell happened to you two last night?" Lexi barged in with two big suitcases dropping them on the floor.

"Lexi please no questions right now." Stefan told her.

Lexi looked around at the sight of the room and then at the sight of them. "You two got it on last night." Lexi said with a huge smile. She always was a fan of them being together. "Look I won't tell anyone but how many more times is this going to happen before Matt finds out?"

"I think I'm going to be sick." Elena said running to the bathroom and Stefan ran after her but she shut the door in his face locking it.

Stefan threw his hands up in the air. "Elena we're going to grab some breakfast I'll be right back." Stefan told her. He didn't bother waiting for an answer he knew she needed space to recover from their eventful morning.

"So you're telling me you two ran off and got married last night?" Lexi asked on the elevator back up to the room. Stefan held his left hand up and it got him a hard punch on the arm. "You dick I wanted to be a part of that wedding! Caroline is going to be pissed she didn't get to plan it!"

"So not the problem here Lexi." Stefan replied. "I can't stay married to that girl."

"And why not?"

Stefan looked at her as if it was obvious. "Because I don't love her and I sure as hell don't care about her."

"You're lying."

"Am I?" Stefan asked. "Elena and I have never gotten along. She hates me and I can't stand her. Damon and Katherine being together is just something that forces us to stand each other and the fact that we have mutual friends doesn't help either."

Lexi was calling his bluff because she knew deep down there was a part of him that cared about Elena Gilbert. It was something he had hidden for so long from everyone around him that he was convinced himself he had no feelings for her. "You are just bitter."

"Bitter about what? That Elena doesn't want to be married to me?"

"No you are bitter that she ran to Matt when you messed everything up and when you finally realized your mistake it was too late. You're mad that you took too long to ask her to that dance that would have fixed all your problems."

Stefan didn't say a word as he entered the hotel room again. "Where is everyone?" He asked Lexi ignoring her.

"They are all having breakfast I told them to cover for Elena that she was with me and we were going to some store to pick up something for Jeremy and I told them you must have had a one night stand with someone."

"Thanks." Stefan looked to see that Elena was fully dressed and sitting in a chair looking out the window lost in thought.

"I brought you coffee." Lexi went to her handing her the cup.

"Thanks." She answered still in a daze.

"Everything is going to be okay." Lexi hugged her friend when she saw her tear stained cheeks.

"I'm going to shower." Stefan told them feeling out of place.

"Lexi how am I going to fix this?" Elena asked her. "Everyone is going to be so mad at me."

"Damon is going to fix this." Lexi assured her.

Elena shook her head sadly. "Stefan just said that to make me feel better. I'm married to the one guy I can't stand to be around."

"That's not true."

"It is. We do nothing but argue. He does everything he can to get under my skin and I can't stand it. I do everything I can to piss him off in return."

"Sounds like you two have been married for years." Lexi smiled at her. "Let me see what kind of ring he bought you."

Elena flashed her hand and Lexi's eyes went wide with shock.

"He didn't."

"He did." Elena informed her.

"This thing is sacred. I've never even been able to get it off his damn finger."

"Really?" Elena was now the one surprised.

"Really he almost chopped my fingers off one night when I tried."

"He lets me play with it all the time…I mean when we get drunk. He let me wear it when I was sixteen."

"When you two dated." Lexi finished for her.

"Yeah." Elena sighed. "Seems like forever ago."

"But it was only two years ago."

"Funny how much things can change." Elena had to admit she did like the way the ring looked on her finger but she knew it wasn't hers to keep. "I can't stay married to him." Lexi felt as if she was having dejavu or something.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm in love with Matt, I don't love Stefan. He doesn't care about me anymore."

"Don't kid yourself, we know he does."

"I'm afraid not." Elena told her sadly. "I'm ready to go home."

Stefan exited the shower dressed in a clean pair of clothes talking on the cell phone and it sounded like Damon. Closing the phone he looked at the girls. "We need to make a trip to the Justice of the Peace and state our case and pretty much beg for an annulment. Apparently its frowned upon for seniors to make trips to Vegas, get drunk, and marry their enemy."

"Let's go." Elena said gathering her things. "Matt is blowing my phone up wondering when we will be back."

"I told Bonnie we were meeting everyone at the airport." Lexi said.

"We've got an hour." Stefan looked at his watch.

Stefan, Elena, and Lexi made their way across town to the courthouse and the married couple went in and tried to plead their case to the judge but he was not having any of it. He told them that with their parents' permission that they could get an annulment but if not then they would have to stay married until the date of their graduation. Stefan argued with him almost getting thrown into jail for the profanities he was sending the man's way. Elena stopped him and drug him out of the court room. The two picked up their marriage license with sad faces. Lexi was pretty pumped and insisted to take pictures with it.

"Here take this. I don't want any evidence that I married my best friend's girl." Stefan handed it to Elena.

"I don't want it." Elena shoved it back at him.

"I'll take it." Lexi stuffed it into her oversized purse. She was actually happy the judge didn't give into their request but she was also sad because her two favorite people were depressed. This wasn't what she wanted this trip to be about. "Look I know this isn't ideal but can we please just have a nice flight home?"

"Can the plane just go up in flames please?" Elena groaned. "I don't want to think about home at this point."

"Katherine is going to kick my ass." Stefan spoke up. "Your parents are going to hate me even more if that's even possible."

"I know that's right." Elena said. The trio made it to the airport and when they walked up Elena noticed that the ring was still on her finger and Stefan's was on his. "Get rid of your damn ring."

Stefan looked down at his hand and took the ring off shoving it into his pocket as Elena did the same. Lexi eyed them curiously wondering why Elena didn't feel the need to return his ring.

"You've got to be kidding me?" Stefan asked looking at his ring finger.

"What?" The girls asked.

"This." Stefan showed them the nice little E tattooed on his finger.

"You have got to be shitting me?" Elena looked at her finger and thankfull there was nothing there. "Cover it up. I don't care no one can see that. We are getting it removed when we get home. As if you couldn't screw my life up even more."

"Excuse me? You are the one who screwed everything up. I'm sorry you can't keep your hand's to yourself and from the looks of it the E looks like it was done in your handwriting so don't accuse me of doing this on mine own woman."

"Guys shut up we are about to meet everyone." Lexi told them. "Stefan stuff that hand in your pocket."

The meeting was awkward to say the least but Elena did a good job of putting on a smile and faking her happiness. Stefan watched as she kissed Matt sweetly telling him that she had missed him and loved him. Stefan wanted to throw up at the sight. Lexi pulled him to the gates so they could get on the plane. Elena felt guilty running back to Matt but she had formalities to keep up.

"Glad to see some things never change, Matt always did enjoy my seconds didn't he?" Stefan whispered in her ear when no one was looking.

Elena's eyes filled with rage. "Go to hell."

"Only if you lead the way."

"I hate you."

"At least we can finally agree on something Mrs. Salvatore." He winked.

"Stop."

"Why? You afraid your golden relationship will be broken?"

"Stefan stop." Lexi told him.

"I'll see you at home." Stefan laughed.

"Do you have to be such a dick?" Lexi asked him.

"No, but it pisses her off so I think I'll keep it up." Stefan replied back.

Lexi sighed. This was going to be a long ride home with these two. Surely someone would put the two out of their misery. At least she hoped they would. Forcing these two to be together was like putting fire and kerosene together. There was bound to be a huge explosion in the end and someone was going to end up burned. It was the way it worked with Stefan and Elena, no one could ever win.


	2. Chapter 2

The flight was long and Stefan was silent for most of it. Elena stayed unusually quiet as well pretending to be asleep on Matt's shoulder. Caroline was going on and on about the trip talking Bonnie and Tyler's ears off. Lexi watched Stefan as his eyes would glance to Elena and Matt and his whole body would tense. For someone who claimed to not care he sure did show a lot of jealousy in his body language. No one else would ever be able to notice it besides Lexi because she was the only one he could not fool. Elena and Stefan may have been able to convince their other friends that they despised each other but Lexi wasn't buying it for a second. She was the one who was always covering their asses when they would have their random drunken hookups. Which as of lately was becoming more frequent. Lexi hated lying to their other friends but Stefan and Elena swore her to secrecy. She has a fan of the two being together again but she just hated all the lying. It wasn't right what the two had done and she was worried about her friends and their future. Someone was going to end up hurt and it seemed to Lexi that Elena wasn't going to leave Matt, so therefore Stefan may be the one burned in the end.

"You're thinking too hard." Stefan whispered in Lexi's ear.

"I'm worried about you." Lexi sighed looking at him and Stefan could see the sincere concern she had for him. Lexi wasn't ever usually serious about much in life and Stefan knew something was troubling her if she was.

"For what?"

Lexi nodded her head towards Elena and Matt and Stefan looked over at them. Elena's head was resting on Matt's should with a blanket pulled up to her chin while Matt had his arms wrapped tightly around her. Stefan shook his head not wanting to see them anymore.

"She's never going to leave him no matter how many times you two go behind his back." Lexi told him with a soft tone.

Stefan's eyebrows scrunched together wondering where this was all coming from. Lexi never talked about his situation with Elena. It was odd to him.

"What happened was a mistake." Stefan shrugged. "I don't want to be with her and I don't want her leaving Matt for me. That would be the biggest mistake she could make because her leaving him for what we did would be pointless because there is nothing left between us."

Lexi eyed him wondering if he truly meant what he was saying. How could he be so in love with a girl one day and then the next not care that she was with his best friend? It was as if Stefan gave her over willing. Lexi didn't understand the two. It was obvious something was still there but then again what if the only thing there was attraction? What if that's all they ever would feel for each other? Lexi didn't like that thought, but it was becoming more believable as time passed. Elena loved Matt now and Stefan well...he didn't love anyone or anything anymore.

"I just worry that's all." Lexi smiled at him. Stefan smiled back wrapping an arm around her shoulder pulling her close to him. He kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you for caring Lex, but I promise I'll be fine. Now tell me about our next adventure."

Lexi grinned with a laugh telling Stefan of what she had planned next for the two. Stefan listened intently eager to hear what she had in mind. Lexi was truly his best friend always standing by his side no matter what and he loved her like the sister he never had. Without her he would be lost in this world. She kept him entertained and living life to his fullest. Stefan couldn't imagine his life without her.

Elena had fallen asleep and woke up to see that Matt was asleep as well. She sat up and looked around the plane to see most people were asleep. Caroline was reading a book, Tyler looked to be playing a game on his phone. Bonnie had her headphones in with her eyes closed. Elena's eyes fell on Stefan and Lexi. Lexi was talking animatedly using her hands to make gestures and he eyes were wide which was a sign that she was really into what she was talking about. Stefan's face was full of amusement as his lips held a bright smile. Elena wondered what they were talking about, what Lexi was saying that was making Stefan so happy. It had been so long since she had witnessed him be happy. Lexi seemed to be the only one who could get him to truly laugh or smile. Other times it just seemed forced in her presence. She knew they were no longer together but she didn't think that he would hate being around her that much that he couldn't even enjoy himself. Elena hated what they had done. She hated that she had married a man who doesn't even smile at her. This whole thing was so messed up. How she had ever let herself fall into his games was beyond her knowledge. Elena had not realized she was staring at the two because she was lost in thought but when she snapped back to reality she locked eyes with Stefan. His eyes bore into hers with a serious look, it was as if he was looking through her. There was nothing behind his green eyes anymore. Elena cringed at the realization. Stefan's eyes then turned into amusement as he realized she was staring at him with a serious look as well. Elena had been caught staring. Stefan smirked at her and winked letting her know she'd been busted. Elena rolled her eyes and turned away from the two and kissed Matt's cheek before settling back into Matt.

Finally back in Mystic Falls the bunch decided to go their separate ways.

"Stefan can you give me a ride?" Elena asked surprising Matt and Stefan.

"Why?" Stefan asked. "Can't your boyfriend take you?"

Elena fought the urge to roll her eyes. "My sister cooked dinner tonight with our names on it."

"Your sister sucks at cooking. I'd rather eat shit." Stefan threw his bag in his trunk.

"Dammit Stefan they said they had something important to talk about." She said through gritted teeth and Stefan got the point loud and clear then.

"Maybe Damon popped the question finally. At least one of you gets to be a Salvatore." He smirked.

Matt shot Stefan a glare warning him to back off but Stefan wasn't phased by the guy. "Can you give me a ride or not?"

"Yeah as long as you don't talk." He said over his shoulder getting in.

"You don't have to be such an ass." Elena said slamming the door to get in.

"You don't have to be such a bitch, but I guess that gene just runs in the family." He said referring to Katherine. Elena wasn't sure why Stefan had a problem with her because at one point and time that Elena could remember as clear as day that Stefan was really cozy with her.

"I can't stand you."

"Feeling is mutual dear."

Entering the boarding house things were unusually quiet. There was no food on the table waiting for them like Elena lied to Matt about. Stefan tossed his suitcase on the floor and walked to the table with the scotch on it. He poured himself a glass and then Elena one.

"Here you are going to need this."

"Can't argue with that." She threw the drink back as did Stefan. She poured herself on more before going on search of their relatives.

Before she even made it out the door there was a clapping sound entering from the other way. Both teens turned to see Damon and Katherine clapping with smug looks on their faces. Stefan cringed upon seeing Damon's face. He knew he was in for an ass chewing. They may have been brothers but Damon had raised Stefan over the years even though they had lived with their Uncle Zach. Damon was his only father figure and even though he wasn't a very good one Damon expected more from Stefan than he did. Damon scolded Stefan when he was in the wrong and tried his best to teach him to be the type of man that he failed to be day in and day out.

"Welcome home Mr. & Mrs. Salvatore." Damon said. "Would you like us to move out so you can move in? You are the ones legally married."

"What the hell were you thinking?" Katherine said with a bit more venom in her voice. She looked as if she was going to rip Stefan's head off at any moment."Elena mom and dad are going to literally kill you!"

Elena didn't know what to say. These were answers she had tried to come up with the plane ride back home. She had no real answer to the questions people would have. Why had she married Stefan? It was something she couldn't even answer herself. Katherine was coming closer to her and Elena involuntarily flinched because she was in fact afraid of her older sister like most people in this town were.

"Did you honestly think about what you were doing? Vegas? How the hell did you two get to Vegas?" Katherine screamed at them. Both teens jumped at her outburst.

"We all went." Stefan spoke up. "It was my idea to spend our last night in Vegas. We got drunk and I guess one thing lead to another."

"And you ended up with my baby sister? You woke up next to my baby sister with wedding rings on your hands and naked? Explain to me exactly how you two pulled this one off." She glared at Stefan. Stefan though had enough of her trying to intimidate him, he wasn't backing down now.

"I don't think that is any of your business." Stefan replied surprising each one of them. "What happened with us is our private business, all you need to know is that it did happen and we are married as of now. So either help us fix it or keep your opinions to yourself." He snapped.

"Your private business huh?" Damon snapped back at him. "I say you are still a kid and apparently you need my help to get that annulment you two so desperately want to erase the biggest mistake of your lives. So if I were you I would start explaining what happened."

Stefan looked to Elena and he could see the fear in her eyes. She didn't want them to know what the two had done since their breakup. "No." Stefan told Damon firmly. "You are my brother first and you are Elena's sister and I am demanding some respect out of those two roles. Damon you may be all I have and you may be my guardian but you are my brother. Be my brother in this situation please I am begging you. I came to you as a brother, not a kid looking for a parent."

Damon's body relaxed slightly upon realizing what his brother was asking for. He was right. They were brothers before anything else.

"You can yell at me later, but I won't allow it in front of Elena." Stefan knew the things Katherine and Damon said would affect Elena more than they would him.

Elena was in shock over the situation. Stefan and Damon always butted heads, but Damon usually won out because Katherine would convince him otherwise that Stefan was the kid in the situation and not the adult, but it looked as if Damon would not be told differently. It was like a newfound respect was formed between the two. Elena almost felt like she was witnessing history.

"We're not done." Damon reminded him.

"Fair enough."

"You're not my brother." Katherine said with fire in her eyes. "I want answers." She looked at Elena with her hands crossed over her chest.

"What do you want to know Katherine?" Elena sighed tiredly throwing her hands up in the air. "That Matt and I were arguing? That I was drunk and was acting a fool dancing on the bars and tables?" Damon's eyes got big at that picture in his mind. Stefan didn't have an emotion on his face to show surprise so Damon knew it was true. Katherine was about to choke on her words when Elena admitted that. "Because I was so drunk Matt was angry and left me there at the club and went to the hotel. I saw Stefan in my drunken stupor and I acted on it. We started dancing and..." Elena stopped upon hearing Damon's voice.

"That's enough." Damon spoke up. "Elena I don't want to hear the details." He would have loved details any other time but not today. Not in this situation.

"You don't?" Katherine asked wanting to know more about why her sister was so careless.

"The deed is done." Damon made himself a glass of scotch. "We can only try to help them from here on out."

"Damon your brother married my sister!" Katherine yelled again. She was doing that a lot today.

"And your sister said 'I do'. We have a bigger problem on our hands." Damon told her.

"And what could be bigger than these two married and in high school?" Katherine was fuming.

"Miranda and Grayson Gilbert." Damon said looking her in the eyes and Katherine finally stopped talking.

The four finally sat down and talked things out like normal people would. Stefan was not saying much besides the fact that he didn't want to tell Elena's parents. Elena agreed saying that they could just stay married until the end of graduation and not say anything at all.

"You can't do that." Damon told them.

"And why the hell not?" Elena asked. "I have a boyfriend whom which I love and I actually want to marry one day."

Stefan laughed.

"Because I made a deal with the judge." Damon leaned back waiting for their reactions.

"You what?" All three asked together.

"I made a deal with him that if he wasn't going to annul the marriage that you two would do whatever it took to get the annulment. He proposed one idea after learning a few things about your relationship history that if you two would try to make amends and show that you actually put forth an effort into this marriage then he would annul it after graduation."

"You made a deal with the devil it sounds like." Stefan told him. "There is no way I can pretend to be happy with her."

"Same." Elena crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's the thing you two already agreed and without going to your court ordered therapy and good results back from that then you have to stay married and then go through an actual divorce where you both could lose things in the process. Stefan with you marrying Elena then she is part owner of the family business."

"She is what?" Stefan exclaimed. "No." He shook is head. "Not possible."

"You know the rules Stefan." Damon told him. "Any woman who is married in immediately becomes a partner in the business, she is an equal. That is way this family takes marriage so seriously." Stefan had failed to pay attention to that part of the family history. He was never worried about it before.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Stefan cussed kicking the coffee table. Elena was overwhelmed with this information because even she didn't even know this part about the family history. The Salvatore's were a very wealthy family, but the family business was something passed down for generations. It wasn't just a means to make money. Heart and soul was put into the production for he company. Elena didn't want to be a part of any of this. She didn't want the business, but she knew how much it meant to Stefan. She was really beginning to hate how family orientated the Salvatore's were. "Anything else I should know brother?" Stefan was livid by this point.

"You don't get your trust fund if you get divorced before 21." Damon said calmly.

Stefan and Elena's eyes went wide at this statement. Elena knew how big of a trust fund he was going to receive when he turned twenty-five and Stefan was going to use it to pay back college loans when he finished and then further build the family business. That was one thing he looked forward to.

"I wouldn't get it until I'm twenty-five anyways." Stefan said.

"I hate to break any more bad news but if you get married before then you would receive it one year after being married."

"So what you are saying is that I have no choice but to stay married and pretend to be happy?" Elena asked. "Or he will lose everything?"

"Yes." Damon said. "You're a Salvatore at this time and you are an entitled owner of our business and you also have control over Stefan's funds."

"Great." She mumbled. Just what he needed was a shopping addict with access to his money.

"So what's the plan?" Katherine asked. She wasn't for this marriage at all but she also knew that if Stefan and Elena did not follow the court's orders then he would lose everything.

"What if I don't want any of his money? If we get divorced after the year then I will just return whatever is given to me in the settlement." Elena said like it was a bright idea.

"Stefan would but cut from any other funds set up to come his way." Damon reminded her.

"Can we just take a few days to process this all." Stefan asked. "School starts on Monday and I have way too much to think about besides being married to her."

"I have a name." Elena spat. "But I agree can we keep this thing between us for at least a week or two until things in our lives get settled in with senior year. It's a big year and we still have our own college plans to pursue with or without the marriage. I'm going to have a life after this." Elena said with determination.

"You have a week." Damon told them. "Next Sunday you two are going to be the adults you acted to be and you will tell your parents Elena."

"I say you tell them they are your parents." Stefan said standing. "I'm done with this conversation I have things to do." He walked out without looking back.

"Stefan." Damon called after him but he continued walking. "He is going to be the death of me."

Elena sat awkwardly on the couch not making eye contact with Katherine or Damon. At this moment she just wanted the couch to swallow her. This was too much to take in and for a high school senior. This was not in her plans at all. This year was supposed to be the best year of her life, she was going to apply to tons of colleges giving herself options, she was going to be a cheerleader with her best friends, take road trips on the weekends, enjoy her relationship with Matt. She wasn't sure if she was more afraid of breaking her parent's hearts or Matt's hearts. He had been through so much in his life and Elena truly was the one good constant thing he had. She was his foundation and she didn't want to take it all away from him.

"I'm going to meet up with Ric." Damon stood up. "Don't worry I'm not going to say anything." Elena's face washed over with relief.

"I'm going to take Elena home." Katherine stood kissing Damon before looking down at Elena.

"Katherine I'm not in the mood to argue over this." Elena said in an even tone.

"How the hell you managed to snag the Salvatore name before I did you little bitch." Katherine's lips curved up into her trademark smirk almost like Damon's.

"You want it so bad pretend to be me." Elena snapped. "I have to be married to the biggest dick in town."

"That big huh?" Katherine tried lightening the mood.

"Katherine please quit." Elena was on the verge of a breakdown so Katherine dropped the act and went into sister mode sitting down beside Elena on the couch and pulling her into her arms where Elena just cried on her sister's shoulder. Katherine felt extremely sorry for her sister because in all her years of rebellion she had never done something like this. Dating Damon may have been the biggest thing she ever did that upset her parents. Elena on the other hand had a motherload of things that involved Stefan that their parents were disappointed in. Elena though was different than Katherine. She was the type of kid that any parent would want. She was a people pleaser and she always did whatever it took to be the best because she strived to make her parents proud. It was something Katherine always envied about her but it was also something that she knew would be Elena's biggest downfall in the end. Elena would do whatever their parents wanted and it feared Katherine sometimes. It wasn't because their parents were bad people or expected impossible things from their children, but they had a name to uphold throughout town and the Gilbert's never did anything that was frowned upon. Katherine was more of the wild child growing testing their parent's patients while Elena was the golden child. Their younger brother Jeremy just kind of took life at his own pace.

"It's going to be okay." Katherine told her.

"No it's not." Elena pulled back drying her eyes. "Everyone keeps telling me that it's going to be okay but it's not. Hell even he knows it's not going to be okay." Elena pointed upstairs. "And when he can't fix something then I know there is no hope."

"Sweetie then maybe you are putting faith in the wrong man." Katherine told her. It was true Stefan usually had a knack for fixing everyone's problems and for getting Elena out of trouble even when he didn't want to, but Katherine was not going to let her sister sit and think her life was over all because some boy had no solution to her current problem.

"Kat what am I going to do?" Elena was desperate for an answer.

"We are going to go shopping." Katherine smiled. "Call the girls if you want them to join or that annoying friend of Stefan's that I think Damon has a crush on."

Elena laughed. "You like Lexi and you know it."

"I do." Katherine grinned. "But she gets Stefan drunk and they jam Bon Jovi at all hours of the night."

"And that bothers you?"

"It bothers me that I don't get invited to their two-man parties."

Elena smiled shaking her head.

"I can tell you what you are not going to do and that is cry over this or Stefan at that matter. We closed that chapter remember?"

"I'm over him."

"We will get through this next year together." Katherine promised.

Elena hugged her older sister once more before they gathered their things to leave. Elena didn't call any of her friends. She just needed time to herself and to think. Once they were done shopping Katherine accompanied Elena into the house so she wouldn't be the main focus.


	3. Chapter 3

Elena and Katherine sat quietly in the car in front of their house. Well Elena's house. Katherine didn't say anything because there wasn't much to say at this point. She knew Elena needed a moment to gather her thoughts about everything. Katherine couldn't imagine being in her shoes. This was something huge that you can't just make go away. Then having to face the most loving parents in the world and have to lie to their face was even harder. Elena wasn't one to lie to her parents. Only on a few occasions when Stefan was involved. Katherine was starting to see a pattern in her sister's behavior that revolved around the younger Salvatore. This was something Katherine did not like one bit.

Elena's face showed how scared she was about going inside and her parents knowing something was wrong. They could always read her like an open book. Katherine took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Elena gave her a soft smile to silently thank her for her support. She knew it was hard for Katherine to play this role and to keep quiet because in the end it wouldn't benefit Katherine. She usually didn't do something without wanting anything in return, but she always made an exception when it came to Elena and Jeremy. They were her weak spots.

"We can go back to the boarding house, or we can just drive around town for a while." Katherine offered.

Elena shook her head. "No." She took a deep breath and reached for the door handle to the car. "It's now or never."

Katherine followed her lead and got out the car retrieving their shopping bags from the back. Elena walked with her head held high as she put on her mask to pretend that everything was okay. Before entering the house she said a silent prayer hoping her mom couldn't tell something was up.

"Elena we weren't expecting you tonight." Miranda hugged her daughter.

Elena plastered on her fake smile that no one could see through. "We decided to catch an earlier flight home. Caroline didn't want to be overwhelmed with back to school things and Bonnie wanted some time with her Grams." That wasn't a total lie. "Katherine and Damon took us out for lunch and then me and Kat did some last minute shopping. It was her treat because she is such a lovely sister." Katherine snickered when their mom raised a curious eyebrow. She loved her daughter dearly but Katherine was anything but lovely most of the time. "I can't wait to show you everything we got." Elena added distracting her mom from her thoughts about Katherine being nice. No need to dwell on why Katherine was feeling generous. Their mom would pick up that something happened because Katherine was rarely ever nice without feeling guilty.

"Oh and mom we bought you some to die for shoes." Katherine grinned. "I couldn't help myself. Damon gave me some extra cash to buy me something nice and I did and then I saw these shoes and I just knew they were for you." That was believable. Katherine was always getting a new pair of shoes out of Damon. The girl had a gift when it came to him.

"I can't wait to see them." Miranda hugged Katherine. "Where is that mischievous boyfriend of yours dear?"

"He's probably drunk with Ric." Katherine rolled her eyes. "Jenna introducing those two was a pain in my ass."

Miranda laughed knowing full well how those two boys could be when they got together. "Katherine join us for dinner? Jeremy said he hasn't talked to you in over a week." Her mother said pointedly showing her disapproval of that. Katherine may have been an adult and moved out but Miranda was all about family time.

Katherine would usually decline and head to the bar to meet Damon, but Elena needed her tonight. "Sure why not? We all know I'm not cooking tonight."

"Well if Damon would ever make an honest woman out of you then maybe you would feel the need to cook for him like a wife." Grayson said entering the room hugging his two daughters.

Elena gulped upon hearing the word wife. She felt as if the ring in her pocket was on fire just burning a hole through her jeans. Her parents may have wanted Katherine to be married to Damon instead of living in sin as they so-called it, but it seemed as if the wrong sister got the ring. Elena could only imagine how red her father's face was going to turn when she told him she was married, and then the spew of curse words that would leave his mouth when she said it was with the younger Salvatore. Her mother would be left speechless with no words to try and draw the family in back to reality.

"Mom I need a glass of wine." Katherine said. "I have had a hell of a day." Katherine walked into the kitchen. Elena followed because she as well needed to secretly make her a glass. Katherine was right it had been a hell of 24 hours.

Stefan stayed locked up in his room not coming out at all. Damon wasn't going to be home anytime soon and from the looks of twitter and instagram the lovely Gilbert sisters were shopping and having dinner. Stefan wasn't ready for his brother to come home though. A drunk Damon couldn't usually bite his tongue like he did today. He was appreciating the quiet tome he was getting for the time being though with Katherine being gone as well .He was left alone in his thoughts for a moment. Stefan needed a loophole to this marriage but he knew he wouldn't be able to find one. Looking down at his finger he noticed the tattoo and sighed. This had to be all some kind of nightmare. The tattoo was bad enough because even when they did resolve this marriage problem he would still be stuck with this tattoo. To forever be connected to Elena Gilbert was becoming his worst fear. The thought of marriage at all scared him to no end. His mother would be so disappointed in him from what he could remember of her. His father surely would have killed him when he walked through the door and for once in Stefan's life he was thankful the cruel old man was not around to reprimand him. Damon was a lot like their father in a way, the shared the same bitterness and cold hearts. Damon though did have a heart deep down somewhere like Stefan but he had lost it after their mother died and their father turned into a cold man helping smooth over that cold heart he was growing. Stefan sometimes wished Damon didn't stick around to raise him like he did but he was glad like on days like today that he had. Stefan was so lost in this situation. He had blinded himself to a woman who did not belong to him anymore. She was his friend's girl. A girl Matt had intentions to marry after high school. Stefan was not ready for the chaos of it all. So he did the one thing he knew he could do. He took out his journal and began to write another chapter about Elena Gilbert, he was sure almost every page in his journal in some way had her involved in. Stefan sat in his room quietly writing tuning the world out for the rest of the evening.

The first day back at school was like any other first day except the gang was way more excited to take on the school year. Caroline was already planning the party to kick the year off. Bonnie and Elena were talking about cheerleading tryouts. Matt, Tyler and Stefan were tossing the football around while the girls looked over everyone's schedules.

"Stefan you and Elena have four classes this semester." Lexi grinned as she yanked his schedule out of Caroline's hands. Caroline huffed at Lexi's behavior. Stefan groaned at the thought of seeing Elena all day long five days a week. As if his life was bad enough already. The world was seriously against him. He was sure of it now.

Elena tensed up at this revelation. She could not imagine spending half the day in a class room with Stefan. This would be a very long year. "What about me and Matt?"

"One." Caroline winced as she told her.

"Just my damn luck." Elena mumbled. She knew she couldn't change her classes because she was taking honor classes as well as Stefan was. There wasn't much of an option she had here but to deal with the boy who made her existence a living hell half the time.

"You okay?" Bonnie asked concerned. Her friend had acted weird since Vegas. She could since she was hiding something from everyone. She didn't like the two had drifted apart was determined to fix their friendship though and get back on her track.

"Fine just a little moody. Just picturing the hell I'll be going through with a Salvatore around most of my day."

"You two weren't always like this."

"It doesn't matter what we were like, we're like this now and that's the way it's going to be."

"I'm here if you need to talk." Bonnie wasn't going to give up on her friend that easily. She was hiding something Bonnie could tell that much and she would figure it out.

"Thanks." Elena smiled hugging her friend.

The bell rang and everyone went about their normal routines when it came to school. Stefan avoided Elena like the plague until third period where they were forced to be in the same class. Alaric, Elena's uncle was their teacher which Stefan was thankful for because he usually didn't make the two interact with one another because he was keyed in on their drama. Class went off without anything going wrong. Ric was once again going to be the most liked teacher on campus. Elena gathered her things quickly running out the class to go meet up with Matt. Stefan looked at his schedule to see it was athletics he actually had next. At least it would be one hour without seeing Elena. At lunch everyone sat together but Stefan found his way at the end of the table further away than usual from Elena.

Stefan didn't want to sit anywhere near her. He couldn't risk anyone picking them apart and figuring out their secret. It was too risky at this point and quite humiliating to him. He could only imagine what Matt's reaction would be, Stefan was sure a fight would break out between the too. Stefan though knew he deserved whatever he was going to get from Matt one day. It was pretty low to not only sleep, but to marry your best friend's girl.

"Wanna make it any more obvious you two had a fight?" Caroline whispered in his ear before going to sit in the middle of everyone. Stefan sighed loudly annoyed with her keen observation. Caroline pointed to her own smile indicating that Stefan needed to smile. Stefan plastered a fake smile on to his face for a moment until Caroline engrossed herself into another conversation with Bonnie and Elena.

"She's right." Lexi shrugged sitting across from him popping a chip into her mouth.

"I just want a moment of peace." He told her rubbing his temples. "Without the blonde inputs." This was all too much to think about and honestly he had done nothing but think since he got home. A part of him still wished he was in Vegas drunk somewhere so he could ignore everyone and their watchful eyes.

"Rude." Lexi stuck her tongue out at him and Stefan shook his head at her childlike behavior. He loved and hated this girl all in one.

"Bit me." Stefan said stealing a chip from her making Lexi slap his hand and shout at him not to touch her food ever again. Of course she was playing but she didn't like sharing her food with anyone.

Elena never looked Stefan's way fully but when she did for some reason her eyes were drawn to his left hand that was wrapped around a water bottle. She no longer saw the tattoo all she saw was a band aid wrapped around it. She was glad that he was smart enough to cover it up for the time being. They needed to get that thing removed 's eyes followed hers and he met her eyes again but she broke the stare quickly. She then engaged in the conversation with Matt.

Finally the day had ended. Elena was thankful for the day to be over and to have cheerleading tryouts. It was good distraction for her. If they could just live in peace like this then keeping this marriage under wraps would be simple enough if Stefan and her kept their distance from one another.

The week came and went and before Elena and Stefan knew it they were sitting at the boarding house. Damon had given them until Sunday and today was Sunday. It was Sunday night to be exact and there was a big family dinner that Miranda had planned. Jenna and Alaric would be attending as well as Damon and Katherine. It was going to be a disaster. The whole family would be there and the two teens were just going to drop a bomb on them and watch everyone go up in flames. It was a rather miserable idea to tell the Gilberts. Stefan was not on board for it at all. In fact Elena had been at the house since that morning arguing with Stefan about going after he turned his phone off not answering her about tonight. She was beyond pissed at him for acting so immature about the situation. Elena was growing tired of him telling her he was not going. She was about to explode with anger any minute if he denied her one more time.

"I don't have to go to this thing." Stefan told her for the hundredth time that day,watching as her face changed. He knew was pushing her buttons one by one. She was not giving up on forcing him to go though. She couldn't, the thought of telling her parents alone scared her more than staying married to Stefan for a year.

"Stefan I am not telling them this alone!" Elena raised her voice. "I didn't marry myself!" Stefan wasn't phased by her yelling though. She had been doing that a lot today.

"What do you not get about this? I don't care anymore to be honest. I don't want any of this." He pointed between them. "I don't want this damn house one day, I don't want the business, I don't my trust fund and I certainly don't want you." He finished walking closer towards her.

Elena had to admit the last comment hurt but she wasn't going to show it. "You don't want it? Do you seriously think I want to be in this with you? You are a self-centered jerk! I am supposed to be marrying Matt after high school."

"Well then why didn't you marry him?" Stefan said in her face. They were so close together that she could feel his breath against her face. "Why didn't you go to him that night? We wouldn't be in this situation if you could just be a faithful girlfriend!" Stefan raised his voice and Elena flinched but she didn't dare move her feet. They were in a staring contest when Katherine busted into the room her heels letting them know she was present.

"Not another word." Katherine said in a cold tone as she entered his bedroom upon hearing their yelling. She felt sorry for whoever was going to take the married couple on because the two could not agree on anything. "Stefan I suggest you get dressed."

"I don't have to do a damn thing." Stefan said over his shoulder before looking at Elena once more.

"As your sister-in-law I'm telling you to get dressed." Katherine walked further into the room.

"As if my life could get any worse." Stefan mumbled. "Elena I don't think it's a good idea to tell your parents."

"Listen Stefan you don't have much of a say." Katherine told him.

Stefan turned around to open his mouth again and Elena grabbed his arm to stop him from speaking. Stefan looked down at were her hand was clutching his arm and decided to stop talking.

"Katherine could you please give us a minute." Elena said letting go of Stefan to step in front of him to face Katherine head on. Stefan was giving her a headache and Katherine was only going to make him act out worse. She had to get some control on this situation and Katherine being present was no way to control Stefan. He seemed to only react worse to with her around.

"Elena.." Katherine started.

"Kat, please he is not going to listen to you. The two of you arguing is giving me a headache. We don't have time for you two to bicker." Elena ran her ringers through her hair in frustration.

"Things were going just fine until you came in here, uninvited at that." Stefan crossed his arms over his chest.

Katherine's face changed to anger. This boy was way too much for her at times. "You yelling at my sister is not something I will stand for ever!"

"What I do with your sister is not your concern. She is my wife now, so I'm free to yell when I want." Stefan knew that was no way to be in a marriage or any relationship but the rise he was getting out of Katherine was well worth it he thought even if the other Gilbert in the room was slowly losing her cool again. Two sisters mad at him wasn't something he liked to deal with.

"You are a..."

"Kat stop!" Elena rose her voice with authority. "I have had enough. I've had enough of you." She pointed at Stefan and he shrugged. "And you Katherine, I appreciate your concern but you just want to be in the middle of this and it's not going to work. You always putting your nose into our business doesn't help us." Elena was literally exhausted from today already and she hadn't even gotten to the hard part yet. "Katherine please just go and I'll meet you downstairs in few. I need to talk to Stefan alone."

"Rationally and no yelling. Stefan you keep your snide remarks to yourself." Katherine warned him. Katherine flipped her hair over her shoulder and heading to the door. She wasn't mad at Elena telling her she couldn't mind her own business because it was the truth. Katherine had a knack for always being in their business even if she wasn't beneficial.

"Yes mother." Stefan called out earning a death glare from Elena and he put an innocent look on his face. Katherine walked out slamming the door.

"Stefan please listen to me okay?"

Stefan fell back on his bed not putting up a fight to listen. He had no choice but to listen to her. Stefan would always hear her out even if he didn't agree with what she was saying.

"If we tell my parents I know they will probably try to kill the both of us, but they will also be so mad and disappointed in me that they will give the judge permission to annul the marriage. It is the only shot we have at walking away Scott free on this. I know you're afraid of my dad and to be honest I am too. I didn't want this for us. I didn't plan any of this and I know if I wasn't so weak when it comes to you when I'm drunk then we wouldn't be here. You were right if I was a good girlfriend and if I could stay loyal then you wouldn't be married to me, but I am determined to fight for our freedom. To make sure this is just something we never have to think about again. But I need your help to erase this, I'm going to need you to come with me tonight and just for once stand up to my dad. Or don't stand up to him, but I need you there."

Stefan laid there in thought taking in everything she was saying. After a few minutes he felt a her lay something down beside him. Looking down at it he could see that it was a black pair of slacks, and then a black button up. How she knew that he was going blew his mind, but somehow she always could talk him into doing whatever she wanted in the end. Tonight was important to tell both families of their mistake. It was more important that they did it together.

"I'll be waiting downstairs." Stefan could hear her voice breaking indicating that she was on the verge of breaking down again. He sat up nodding his head. Elena felt relief knowing that he was going to face this with her and not make her do it alone.

Katherine looked at Elena as she came down the stairs. "So is the jackass coming or what?"

"Do you have to be so vulgar?" Elena rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." Katherine was stressing out over this as well and she wasn't sure why. It wasn't like she was the one going to get in trouble. For once in her life she was worried about someone other than herself and that bothered her to no end "Damon go make your brother come." Katherine ordered him. Damon groaned standing up from the couch finishing his drink knowing not to fight with his girlfriend. It was just easier to give her whatever she wanted in times like these.

"He doesn't have to." Stefan said coming down the stairs dressed in just what Elena had picked out for him. His hair was slightly styled showing Elena he had taken a moment to look his appearance over. "For me going I say my next trip to the bar is on you." Elena nodded not caring because she would repay him however he wanted for not making her do this alone.

"Your gift will be an annulment." Damon reminded him. Placing his hand around Katherine's waist and kissing the top of her head.

"Oh and Damon by the way leave the part out about you making deals with the enemy until we get a definite answer." Stefan told him brushing past Katherine to get a strong drink. "Now what is everyone waiting for? I have my death to attend." Damon and Stefan swallowed the rest of their drinks. Damon took his brother's lead and following him out the house. Katherine and Elena said a silent prayer because it would all be their deaths if this did not end well.


	4. Chapter 4

Stefan was driving quietly thinking things over in his head. He was seeing all the different ways that Grayson Gilbert was going to kill him and bury his body so no one would find out. He had done the unthinkable and married Grayson's pride and joy. It was no secret that Elena was his favorite. Katherine didn't mind because that meant the pressure was off of her. Grayson adored Elena in a way that any father should adore his daughter, but the bond between the two was unbelievable. Grayson was so proud of Elena always praising her for her accomplishments. He was the one who took her side kicking Stefan out when the break up happened. Stefan had looked up to Grayson as a father figure and assumed he would show him some sympathy in the situation but of course he didn't. He took his little girl's side because apparently Stefan had broken her heart. After that Stefan was like chopped liver to the man, he was useless. Grayson made it clear that he did not want Stefan at their house ever again or around Elena unless it was with friends or school functions. He became very protective of her after the break up when he walked outside one night to see the two in a very heated argument. Things were growing out of hand but as usual Stefan got the blame and was at fault in his eyes. Stefan decided then and there after Grayson threatened him that he'd never step foot on their property again. He hadn't besides the occasional nights where he was drunk and wanted to see Elena to start a fight, but Grayson didn't have to know about that. Stefan and Elena wouldn't dare tell the man in fear of his reaction. Elena was just one thing you did not mess with or you had to deal with Grayson. Her ever loving father.

"Stop fidgeting." Stefan snapped at her as he drove. Damon and Katherine were following behind them and Stefan was tempted to slam the brakes on if Damon rode his tail any harder.

"I can't help it. It's what I do when I get nervous." She sighed heavily sitting ontop of her hands.

"Bite your nails or something like you used to." Stefan was panicking just as much on the inside. Grayson Gilbert could be a scary man when it came to his daughters. The only reason why the man tolerated Stefan anymore was because of Damon. It seemed like Damon had filled his shoes after the breakup.

"I need a drink, a strong drink." Elena was trying to stop fidgeting because she knew it was irritating Stefan and they needed to be on the same team at the moment. They had to play together and nicely if they wanted this to work out in their favor. Elena as well was seeing all the ways this could utterly go wrong, oh so wrong. She feared her dad's reaction just as much as Stefan did. He was right when he said he was driving towards his death because it sure felt as if they were. Uneasyness was not a word to describe what they were feeling.

"Under your seat." Stefan said keeping his eyes on the road. His grip on the wheel was tightening with each mile that they got closer to the house. His posture was tense and he was on edge. One would think the cops were after him with how tense he was driving and how every two seconds he was looking behind him like if Damon was not there then he would turn around.

Elena shot him a look but reached under the seat pulling out a bottle of vodka. Stefan reached into the backseat quickly pulling out a bottle of cranberry juice. She thought it was strange for him to keep vodka and cranberry in his car considering he didn't even drink the stuff. She did. He looked at her motioning for her to take a drink with an annoyed look on his face. He was being very impatient with her and Elena almost snapped at him to stop, but she bite her tongue for once. She did finally take a drink after waiting another moment to irritate him some more for being rude. Stefan rolled his eyes when she cringed at the taste feeling the immediate burn but she took the open cranberry juice from him swallowing a drink of it. Stefan repeated her actions and Elena took one more as did he.

"Better?" He asked as they hid the evidence. It was unlike Stefan to keep any alcohol in his car but Elena was adding it up to the fact that she didn't know this man beside her very well anymore these days at all. She wasn't quite sure how he spent his time outside of school unless they were in a group. She knew that he was growing indifferente towards her and Matt, like he was becoming numb to the fact that they ever dated but she didn't seem to know him anymore. That thought alone bothered her because at one point she knew everything about this boy from his head to his toe.

"A little." She looked straight ahead. Soon they were pulling up to the all too familiar house. Stefan had not walked through the front door of this house in almost a year, he usually snuck in her bedroom window after everyone was fast asleep. When it was safe for him to make an appearance, an unwanted appearance at that.

"Look Elena." Stefan said putting the car in park and turning to look at her. "Whatever happens in here we are in it together." She should have felt relieved at this statement but she wasn't.

"Together is what got us into this mess in the first place."

Stefan shook his head at her response. "Elena you said it yourself the best chance we have is to do this together."

"I know, I'm just afraid of how they are going to react. Sure we've had our fair share of trouble but never this bad."

Stefan nodded in agreement. "They are going to be so unbelievably pissed that they are going to say a lot of things they probably won't mean and it will be more so directed towards me than you." He tried to assure her knowing how ugly things could get inside. "I want you to let your dad get angry, I want him to remember why he doesn't want us together. The more bad thoughts he has the more he will want to give us his permission to get an annulment. Say what you have to say I won't take any of it to heart."

"Stefan I don't think that's a good idea to try and piss my dad off anymore than he already will be." Elena said shaking her head.

"Your dad has to be given good valid reasons for us to erase this mistake. If I'm not qualified for his daughter then he will make this disappear like it never happened." Stefan said like he had it all figured out.

"You seriously think that will work?" She raised a curious brow at him.

"It's worth a shot, but you have to follow my lead. If at any time we need to abort the plan by all means jump ship." Stefan smiled for the first time in a while. "Just remember if you jump ship you can still swim."

Elena smiled at his words.

"Well Mrs. Salvatore shall we?" Stefan was surprised at his own words but he humored himself anyways and was nice about it.

"We shall." They exited the car and meet Damon and Katherine before stepping on the front porch. Stefan was shaking with nerves. Damon gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. Stefan closed his eyes trying to think of a time when he was ever this nervous. It wasn't like this was his first time at this house before.

_Stefan stood before the door nervously as he prepared to ring the doorbell. He wasn't sure why he was nervous about this because it wasn't like it was his first time to be here. In fact he had spent many of days at this house while growing up but yet he had never knocked ont he door with these intentions before. Stefan was sure that today would be the day that his life would change forever. He was positive that the girl behind that door was the one for him. How could she not be? She was his dream come true in every sense of the word. Stefan may have been barely sixteen and new to the whole concept of love but he was sure of his feelings for her. She had to be the one because everytime she smiled or talked his stomach got these crazy butterflies. That had to be sign right?_

_Taking a deep breath Stefan wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. He took in his own appearance hoping he looked nice enough for her. He took Damon's advice to keep his attire simple but he went against his advice and went ahead and bought her some flowers. Stefan knew it was probably a bit much but the girl deserved to have flowers every day for the rest of her life if she wanted it. He would do anything for her and she didn't even know it. Stefan finally worked up the nerve to ring the doorbell and none other than Grayson Gilbert opened the door. _

_Stefan swallowed hard not sure where his voice went in all of this. Usually he was a very well put together young man but it seemed as if today his nerves were getting the best of him. Grayson had always been a ncie man to Stefan while growing up and been inviting whenever he came around but Stefan had never been the boy knocking on his door to take his daughter out. Any father in their right mind wouldn't be happy about a teenage boy coming to take their daughter out on their real first date. Stefan had no one in his life to prepare him for this situation because he had lost his father years ago and Damon had no good advice to give because he wasn't the boy who went about dating the right way. Stefan was in a learning process all on his own scared to death to get it wrong. _

_"Steafn it's nice to see you." Grayson greeted him with a bright smile. Stefan sighed relief knowing the man wasn't going to eat him alive. _

_"You too Mr. Gilbert." Stefan stood with his hands around the boquot of flowers. "Is Elena ready? I know I'm a few minutes early."_

_Grayson shook his head with a laugh moving aside and motion Stefan to come in. "Not quite yet. She's having a bit of a hard time deciding which shirt to wear, Miranda and Katherine are trying to help her."_

_Stefan smiled with a nod entering the house. He felt different knowing he was here to take Elena on a date with him, but it was a good different. The idea of spending an evening out with her got him excited inside. They had always been friends growing up but now he had a chance to act on his feelings and he was more than ready to take that on. He had waited patiently for his turn for years now watching as boys came and went trying to win her over. _

_"So where do you guys plan on going tonight?" Grayson asked as they stood in the livingroom._

_Stefan set the flowers down on the coffee table and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I thought we could go and have dinner at The Grill, then head to a movie or to the putt-putt course and play a round or two and race some go karts." Stefan knew the date didn't scream romance but he wanted this date to be different than most. He didn't want to just go have dinner and watch a movie where he couldn't spend his time talking with her. Stefan loved nothing more than hearing Elena talk, he didn't care what it was about he just loved hearing her voice. She could talk for hours upon hours and he would never tire of her voice. It may have been one of the reasons why Stefan always sat quietly when they were together hanging out just listening to her. Her mere presence was calming to him after such years of heartache growing up. She was a calming melody in to him. A comfort he never wanted to lose. He wondered at times if she ever felt the same about him. Of course they were young but he was captivated by everything she did. _

_Grayson nodded his head with a smile. "Stefan she is going to love that." Grayson was impressed to say the least. He was lucky enough to know that his daughter was going out with Stefan tonight. He was very well respected around town and he knew she would be in good hands. Grayson also knew that Elena was crazy about this boy and he was glad she was finally getting the chance to go out with him. Even though Grayson wasn't thrilled about the idea of his little girl growing up he had to admit Stefan was the best choice for her. He was harmless and he was good for her. Too good at that Grayson was sure, but Elena was pure at heart as well so he knew it would work out perfectly. _

_Grayson and Stefan began to engage in a conversation about football when Elena finally came down the stairs with Katherine and Miranda. Stefan turned around when he heard her footsteps. There he stood in awe. She was dressed just as she would for any other day but there was something about this moment that was life changing for him. _

_"Elena." Stefan smiled picking up the flowers and handing them to her. "These are for you I hope you like them."_

_Elena's smile was contagious as everyone else in the room witnessed this moment. It was nothing out of the ordinary but there was a spark that couldn't be denied. "Thank you Stefan." Elena took them. "I'll go put them in some water."_

_"Let me." Katherine said taking them from her. She walked towards Stefan and gave him a warning look. "I will hurt you if you ever break her heart." Katherine whispered and Stefan nodded his head. He had no intentions of ever hurting this girl before him. Never could he dream of it._

_"You two kids have a good time tonight." Miranda smiled hugging Elena. _

_"Be home by midnight." Grayson reminded. Even though he did trust Stefan to bring Elena straight home he could never be too catious. Kids would be kids and if there was a party with their friends they might stop by. _

_"Yes sir." Stefan said. "Thank you for letting me take Elena out tonight. I promise to have her home by curfew." Stefan reached his hand out shaking Grayson's hand. "Mrs. Gilbert have a good night." Stefan gave her a nod and a charming smile. _

_He followed Elena out the house and to his car where he opened her door and helped her in. As they drove off Stefan felt as if this was the beginning of their story. _

_"You look beautiful tonight." Stefan turned his head to look at her as he drove._

_Elena blushed looking down at her clothes. She didn't have anything too special on. Just a nice pair of jeans and her leather jacket since it was a chilly night. "Thank you." She said quietly. It was so different being in this situation with Stefan. They had always been just friends but the feelings had always been there. She was more than happy when he finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date. _

_"I hope you don't mind having dinner at The Grill tonight."_

_Elena shook her head. "The Grill is perfect."_

_"I thought so too." Stefan smiled. _

_While eating dinner Stefan was surprised that they had not run into any of their friends yet. It was a Saturday night and The Grill wa spacked but there was no Caroline or Bonnie in sight. Not even Lexi. Which Stefan had warned to leave him alone for the night and not to ruin this date for him. He was sure that she was probably at the house with Damon annoying him endlessly with questions about pointless things._

_"So did you finish writing your paper for English?" Elena asked. They had been talking about school mostly. _

_"Yeah I finished it up earlier this week. What about you have you gotten past the introduction?" He laughed knowing Elena always waited until the last minute to do anything school related. She was extremely smart but she was a bit of procrastinator. _

_"You know me." Elena laughed with him. "I have been stuck on the the first sentence for a while now."_

_"I'd be more than happy to help you." He offered. _

_"I'd like that." She told him._

_Stefan and Elena continued to talk about everything under the sun. They were content being together. Nothing was forced or awkward. The two had known each other all their life but tonight was like a new experience of getting to know one another. Even though Stefan and Elena had always been close they did not know everything about each other. Not like Lexi did Stefan or Bonnie did Elena. They were just simply friends, but Stefan wanted more, he wanted to know everything about this girl. What he didn't know was that Elena had felt the same way for a long time. _

_After finishing up dinner Stefan paid for it and they made their way down to the putt-putt course. Elena's eyes got big at the sight before here. She couldn't believe he was taking her to play._

_"I love putt-putt."_

_"Yeah?" Stefan smiled with relief knowing he had gotten something right for her. He was afraid she wouldn't enjoy this._

_"My dad used to take me all the time growing up. I am like a pro."_

_"Is that so?" Stefan laughed as he paid for their stuff. _

_"Oh yeah definetly I am. I'm going to be the next big thing in the pro mini golf series." The two laughed at her statement as they set up to play. _

_"We could always play for a friendly wager." Stefan questioned. _

_Elena eyed him wondering how good he actually was but then again it didn't matter because she considered herself to be the best. "That depends what's the deal?"_

_Stefan rested his putter on his shoulder as an innocent look came across his face. "If I win you have to go on another date with me."_

_"And if I win?"_

_"You get to kiss me at the end of the night." Where his confidence was coming from he did not know. She made him a bumbling fool anytime he was near her any other day of the week, but tonight something was changing. They were changing. Elena felt a smile tugging at her lips and she tried not to let it show because she wanted to be in control of this situation. Stefan realized his mistake quickly when she didn't answer so he began to open his mouth to say something but Elena stopped him._

_"You're on." She winked at him before setting her ball up to take the first shot._

_Stefan felt his heart skip a beat. He knew he would be kissing Elena Gilbert by the end of the night because he didn't know the first thing about mini golf. He was horrible at it. Lexi had forbid him from going out in public and playing with her because he was so bad. Hopefully Elena wouldn't be that embrassed of him by the end of the night._

_Thankfully by the end of the game Stefan had only lost three balls landing God knows where. Elena couldn't contain her laughter when she realized how horrible he was. But he had tried like hell to win even though he really had no chance._

_"You could have told me you were that horrible." Elena laughed at him. _

_Stefan shook his head tryinmg to hide his huge grin. "It was a bad night." He shrugged._

_"Whatever you say." Stefan tossed the score card in the trash not needing to add it up to know Elena had kicked his ass at mini golf. _

_They returned their clubs before Stefan paid for go karts. "I am good at go karts." He informed her._

_"I'll believe that when I seet it." She told him as they headed to go race go-karts._

_Stefan helped her into her car before choosing his carefully._

_"Anyother friendly wager?" Elena asked._

_Stefan couldn't contain the grin his face as he nodded. "What's your conditions?"_

_"I you win you get to kiss me tonight." Stefan's eyes grew at the realization of that. He was alreayd going to get to do it tonight, but not if she didn't want him to. He'd never overstep his boundaries. _

_"If you win?" He asked._

_"If I win I go on another date with you next weekend." Elena smiled. She was going to go out with him either way next weekend and every weekend after that if he would have her anyways though. The games were just too fun to pass up though. _

_They prepared for the race and before they knew it they were taking off. It was a four lap race and Stefan knew for a fact he could win this. He wanted that kiss tonight, but he also wanted that date again because more dates meant more games and more games meant more kisses. It was a delima he was stuck in by the third lap. Elena was right on his tail trying to work her way past him but Stefan wasn't having any of it. It was the last and final lap and Stefan looked back to see Elena right behind him. Her hair was blowing in the wind and her face had this look of determination like she wanted to win more than anything. Stefan thought she looked adorable right then. Then she did the not so adorable thing and bumped his kart with hers. He shot her a glare and she smirked at slight bump had caught him off gaurd causing him to swerve as Elena made her way beside him. Stefan pressed the gas pedal harder only to feel that it was already pressed down all the way. Her rode beisde Elena neck and neck as the finish line came up. He couldn't just let her win after that little stunt. No not at all. He was determined now to beat her since she wanted to play dirty. Another date be damned he would make up another game on the way home ti win another date fair and square. Just as they approached the finish line Elena's kart sped up just a notch and she was an inch in front of him beating him. _

_Stefan slammed his fists on the wheel as they Elena stuck her tongue out at him going and doing a victory lap. Stefan couldn't help but to smile at the girl. She had won and she was the cutest thing ever while doing it. He was sure that he had probably just fallen in love with her tonight. Although he would never tell her such a thing._

_Stefan had parked his car outside of her house not wanting this night to end but knew it was growing late. They had decided to go out for ice cream after the race and stayed there talking for a couple more hours just enjoying each other's company. Elena had made sure to rub in his face that he had not won anything that night. But Stefan let her do it because what she didn't know was that he was a winner. Being with her was worth more than any of those games. He would lose any day of the week just to see her smile. _

_"I had a great time tonight Stefan." Elena said taking off her seatbelt. _

_"So did I." Stefan smiled at her making her heart melt. How could a boy make her feel this way in just a short time? Maybe it was because she had always been crazy about him even from a young age. "Can I walk you to your door?" Stefan asked._

_"That would be nice." Elena told him as Stefan got out and opened her door offering her his hand in which she took. _

_Stefan stood in front of her on her porch wondering what his next move would be. It was only 10:45 so he knew her parents were probably waiting on the other side of her door to come through it. He was afraid they might be spying on them so he decided he wouldn't kiss her tonight. _

_"You know you lost both bets right?" Elena asked crossing her arms over her chest. Stefan laughed nodding his head._

_"I wasn't very good tonight I admit." He was embrrassed by his lack of racing skills. He was a boy after all and he should have won that, but the look on Elenas face when she won had been pricelss. _

_"Mini golf? No." Elena smiled at him. "Go karts, you were." She gave him that much. "but you still lost and if I understand we had a deal." She couldn't just let their deals go to waste. She had really tried hard to win both times wanting that kiss and that date. _

_Stefan nodded his head taking a small step towards her. "We did." He agreed quietly._

_"I won, so that means I get a kiss." Stefan was nervous once again. Maybe more nervous than he had ever been, way more nervous than when he was when he came to pick Elena up. Nothing would ever trump this moment in his life. Elena uncrossed her arms when she realized that Stefan was about to kiss her. He was moving slowly to her gently taking herhand into his as his other hand reached up and brushed back a few locks of hair behind her ear. _

_"You're so beautiful." He whsiepred to her so close but yet so far away. "I've waited so long to do this." With that he closed his eyes and cupped her cheek into his hand and brought her lips to his. The kiss was slow and gentle, everything a first kiss should be. The kiss was innocent but full of promise. Elena had to let his hand go grab ahold of his shoulders to steady herself because her knees were going weak from the kiss. Stefan finally pulled back but kept his eyes closed for a moment just wanting to savor the kiss. He had just kissed Elena Gilbert. The girl of his dreams and it felt amazing. _

_Elena was left speechless, she couldn't believe Stefan and her had just shared their first kiss. It was something she wanted to do again and again. "Pick me up next Saturday at 6?"_

_Stefan nodded eagerly as he felt Elena stand on her tip toes and kiss him again. This kiss was much like the first one but if it could be even more enjoyable. "You should get inside I think I hear footsteps." Stefan whispered against her lips. "I'll call you when I get home if you'd like?"_

_Elena nodded. "I'd love that." Stefan watched her go inside and he stood on the porch for a few more minutes witht he stupidest smile on his face. He was in love and he was in love with Elena Gilbert nothing would ever change that or take this night from him. He slowly backed away not watching his step as he fell smooth off the front porch. Looking around he quickly got up brushing his clothes off before walking to his car. He was so head over heels._

Stefan opened his eyes to look over at Elena. A lot had changed since that night. They were no longer those two teenagers who were crazy about each other. Elena's eyes met his and it was as if she knew he was remembering that night as well because she gave him a sad smile and reached for his hand but he pulled his hand away from her when Damon rang the doorbell. He couldn't afford for her to see him like this or for anyone to see her touching him. He had to put on his bad boy front now. Everything had changed.


	5. Chapter 5

Stefan was standing behind Damon and Katherine so he wouldn't be the first one to see when the door swung open. Grayson's reaction to seeing him wouldn't be good. Elena was rocking on her heels back and forth just waiting. She wasn't sure why they were knowing on the door. It was her house after all and Katherine was never one to knock on any door for that matter. She decided not to question it now anyways. Stefan seemed to be lost in his own thoughts for the time being. She wondered what was going on in his head. Earlier she could have sworn that he was having the same flashback as she was of their first date. But he had pulled away from her like he had done a lot lately anyways. It wasn't like she was pushing herself into his life either. So she stood waiting patiently for her parents to let her in.

Stefan held his breath when the door swung open revealing Grayson Gilbert. The man of the hour. He was either going to let Stefan live to see another day or he would kill him right then and there tonight at the dinner table with his steak knife.

"Damon, Katherine so nice of you to join us." Grayson smiled greeting them. "Elena dear come on in." Grayson was happy to see his girls including Damon but he was confused about why they had knocked.

The three entered the house leaving Stefan to come into his view. He was like a stranger it seemed, an unwanted guest. It was his time to put on a show. He still had no clue what the plan was. Maybe dinner didn't have to be a bust and they could break the news afterwards. "Mr. Gilbert may I come in?" Stefan smiled his award-winning smile at the man. Elena's heart started racing. This was the beginning of the end for him. She didn't think she could watch this play out before her. Grayson had made it very clear about his feelings towards Stefan. Elena didn't agree with them but who was she to argue?

Grayson's eyes narrowed at the boy in his doorway. Miranda was on her feet in no time and coming towards the door when she heard the familiar voice. "Grayson, Damon asked my permission for him to come over." She said wrapping an arm around her husband's waist to calm him down or to either hold him back. No one was sure which one it was. Stefan wasn't sure but he knew to tread the waters with caution already. Grayson was not happy at all to see him there. Maybe this was going to be harder than he thought it would.

"You didn't think to tell me?" Grayson said while glaring at Stefan. Stefan felt uncomfortable with the man's angry eyes upon him. This glare was worse than the one he gave when he caught Elena sneaking back into the house after staying the night with him.

"I can go." Stefan said as Elena shot him a death glare from behind Grayson. Stefan tried not to laugh at her but his lips were deceiving him. Grayson's eyes grew darker when he saw the humorous grin on Stefan's face but he didn't know Stefan was laughing at Elena, not him.

"No." Elena spoke up and Grayson snapped his neck to look at her. He was not sure what was going on at all but he did not like it. "Stefan was invited." Elena spoke with a bit of fear in her voice. She knew her father was no happy at all about this. The last thing she wanted was to upset him. Stefan could piss him off all he wanted but Elena had to live with the man so she chose not to. "It wasn't my idea though." She confirmed and Katherine rolled her eyes because of course Elena would try to get the heat off of her. It was typical Elena fashion not to want their father to think she could ever do something wrong. Katherine was just ready for dad's face when Stefan broke the new's to him, she had her camera ready to get a snap shot for keep sakes.

"It was Katherine's idea." Miranda said knowing Grayson wouldn't dare argue with his eldest daughter. She too had Grayson's stubborn will. He looked at Katherine and she gave him a pointed look not to be rude about it. Grayson sighed with frustration turning his back on everyone and marching into the dinning room. Miranda shook her head with an apologetic look. "Stefan please come in, I set you a place at the table."

"Thank you Mrs. Gilbert." Stefan stepped into the house. He winked at Elena as he walked past everyone and it was a wink that did not go unnoticed by Miranda. This already felt like it was going to be a bad night if Stefan was up to no good.

Stefan took his seat beside Elena like he usually would when he was welcome. Damon and Katherine sat across from them. Jeremy was on the other side of Damon and Jenna sat beside Elena with Alaric beside her. Miranda and Grayson took the ends of the table.

"So how was the trip to California?" Jenna asked breaking the uncomfortable silence. She was actually curious because she had yet to run into Elena or Stefan. She had always been a fan of Stefan even after the break-up. Elena may have hated him but Jenna couldn't bring herself to be upset with the boy. He was too sweet to be angry with over something she wasn't even sure he did to begin with. Elena hated how close they continued to be after the break up, but she tried to bite her tongue out of respect for Jenna.

Stefan couldn't contain the grin that came to his face. Grayson was eyeing his every move.

"California was a trip to remember Jenna." Stefan told her. Damon choked on his food as Katherine couldn't hide the smirk forming on her lips. This kid was bold. Dinner would be nothing less than good entertainment if Stefan kept his act up. "I know I will never be able to forget it."

Elena felt like she was about to be sick. Couldn't he wait until after dinner to ruin the night? Didn't the boy want one last meal? "California was fun." Elena chimed in needing to direct the conversation away from Stefan. He was going to sink their ship before they even set sail."The beach was beautiful but cold. Us girls did a lot of shopping. I'm just dying to show you what all I bought." Elena gushed about her clothes hoping someone would be interested in what she did instead of who Stefan did. Elena began to feel the panic rise in her as she realized how close Stefan was to hinting at their marriage.

"After dinner I'd love to see it." Jenna sweetly told her, Jenna had to smile at her niece knowing something was up. Stefan didn't just come to family dinner for no reason and Katherine sure as hell didn't stick her neck out for the boy. Jenna was the only one who ever took Stefan's side in anything and it was usually because of her that Stefan got invited to some family events so he wouldn't have to be alone. Elena was nervous that much she could tell. She was too much like her mother for Jenna not to notice and Katherine's face was showing amusement which meant she knew whatever it was Elena was hiding. "So Stefan did you meet any famous girls while you hit up Hollywood?" Jenna figured she would join in on the fun and make Elena sweat a tad bit more. Jenna couldn't resist. Anyways Stefan had promised Jenna he would check out Hollywood and bring her back a souvenir for her, but he also promised to try and meet someone famous and get a picture. Jenna and Stefan had shared a bond with each other that was almost like brother and sister. Jenna took care of him in ways that a mother would since Miranda no longer could. Stefan had needed someone in his life and Jenna was more than happy to feel those shoes for him when need be.

Stefan laughed shaking his head. "I wasn't that lucky, but I did get very lucky one night there." Stefan's grin grew even bigger. He didn't know where this confidence was coming from. Maybe it was because he knew he was screwed either way. Grayson's temper was starting to rise he could already see it. "I have these awesome pictures of this girl I met." Elena's eyes widened with horror when she realized he was probably talking about her. There was no way they had taken any pictures at their wedding. They were too hammered for that, but if he had the proof then she needed to get her hands on them and burn them.

"Do we even want to know?" Damon said through a tight smile trying to get his brother to shut up. This wasn't the way he wanted to break the news. Stefan was headed for a death wish if he kept this act up.

"Oh we want to know." Katherine said. Elena shot her a death glare while kicking her under the table in the shin. Katherine winced and started to say something but stopped. She figured Stefan had this under control and would make it fun if she didn't out them just yet.

"I'd love to see them." Jenna smiled sipping her wine. Elena could tell by the way Jenna was smiling that she knew they were up to something and Elena's stomach turned again. If Jenna had them figured out already then she knew her mom knew something was up. This wasn't going to last very long being a secret if the Gilbert's already knew they were hiding something.

"I think we can save this for after dinner." Grayson said not at all amused by the conversation at hand. He didn't want to hear about Stefan doing anything. He didn't even want Stefan in his house or sitting so close to his daughter. Stefan was welcome to be around whoever in the family but not in front of him. Grayson had lost his respect for the boy when he broke Elena's heart.

"You are exactly right Grayson." Stefan pointed at him with his fork. "My shenanigans with..."

"Stefan." Elena hissed needing him to shut his mouth right that second.

"That's Mr. Gilbert." Grayson corrected him, his blood was beginning to boil. Miranda was in complete shock. Stefan was usually a very well-mannered young man especially in the presence of Grayson.

"Oh I'm sorry you're right, Mr. Gilbert. I forgot that I'm not allowed to use your first name anymore since I...well you know." He chuckled. Elena frowned when she realized he was talking about her. Her heart sunk, still to this day the break up bothered her and she hated talking about it with anyone. Stefan wasn't one to ever bring it up either or to talk about it with so little respect.

Grayson had stop eating and set his fork down to stare at the boy. Damon felt himself tense up at the situation before him. He didn't want to intervene out of respect but he couldn't let Grayson hurt his brother if it came down to that. So Damon was preparing himself to stop the two but Miranda beat him to it thankfully.

"Please stop." Miranda cut in. "All I wanted was a happy family dinner tonight to catch up on things. So please if no one can respect my wishes then leave."

Stefan felt guilty acting the way he was because that is just not who he was, but he needed Grayson to want to rip his head off when they broke the news so he would see just how awful it is for Elena to be married to him. "My apologies." Stefan replied. "Shall we eat now?"

Elena was thankful for the awkward silence between everyone until Ric started up a conversation with Jeremy and then everyone fell into their routine conversations at Sunday night dinner. Stefan was the only one left out because he had no part in this routine anymore. He had nothing to talk about. He was forming a plan in his head to break the bad news. In fact he was starting to become stressed with the idea of telling them. After finishing most of his plate he tugged at the collar of his shirt feeling overheated. Elena studied him curiously, his cheeks were beginning to get flushed. From knowing him so well she could tell that he was stressing out, he was about to break the news and it was becoming too much for him to think about. Stefan was literally freaking out. Seeing him so nervous about this was beginning to make her nervous as well about this whole ordeal. The whole night Stefan had been acting like an ass making it seem like he was in control but now he was second guessing himself.

"Stefan you don't look so well." Miranda told him. She could see the worry in Elena's eyes and her mother instincts were kicking in. Miranda could tell something was wrong if Elena was worried about him. "Are you getting sick sweetheart?" Miranda felt his forehead and then his cheek. "You don't feel warm, you feel clammy."

Stefan shook his head. "I'm fine. I think I'm going to get a bit of fresh air for a moment. Will you please excuse me?" He looked at her for approval. This was the Stefan that she knew. The gentleman who never left the table without permission. Grayson was curious about his sudden change in attitude. Stefan's sudden change had everyone curious about him.

"I'll go with you." Damon said beginning to stand.

"No, please stay. I just need to breathe for a second. Ever since that flight back I've felt a bit overwhelmed."

"His fear of heights set in." Elena lied trying to make up an excuse for him. Stefan was far from being afraid of heights. No, his biggest fear was sitting in this room beside him.

"Desert will be out in a few." Miranda smiled at him. "I'll save you a piece."

"Thank you." Stefan briskly walked outside. He ran his fingers through his hair taking deep breaths. He squatted down bending his head in between his knees trying not to hyperventilate. The idea of telling her parents was really beginning to eat him alive. He thought if he could be a jerk who had no emotion then it would make the thing easier but it wasn't helping. Stefan wanted to just run away from this all together. He was so close to just getting in his car and driving back home. His mind was made up he didn't want to do this anymore.

"Is he okay?" Jenna asked Elena.

Elena nodded her head trying to keep her composure. She needed to get it together and quick. If Stefan was falling off the wagon then she was going to have to take things into her own hands and finish this. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably is out there calling some girl." Jenna eyed her not believing a word she said. Stefan was far from fine and the panic was setting in on Elena's face. They were up to something.

"Probably that girl from California." Jeremy grinned getting a glare from Jenna. He knew then it was still too soon to talk about Stefan being with another girl in front of Elena.

"Tha or he is about to leave." Alaric mumbled. He wouldn't blame the boy for trying to leave. Alaric himself hated these awkward dinners.

Elena's eyes widened at that moment. Stefan was trying to leave. Damon set his silverware down and stood and Elena motioned for him to sit back down.

"Mom, dad excuse me I need to go get Stefan and remind him of how rude he is being. Katherine obviously went out on a limb here to be nice for once and her life and invite him. Now he is trying to run away as usual." Elena more than forcefully pushed her chair back and practically ran outside. Her heart sunk when she saw him. He hated left yet.

"Stefan are you okay?" Elena asked coming outside stepping onto the front porch. She was seriously worried about him.

Stefan stood up looking at her showing her for the first time his fear about this. He couldn't run away and leave her all alone at this time, not when she needed him. It would be the worst thing he could do to her this time around. "I can't do this Elena." He whispered. The tone in his voice was something Elena had not heard in a long time. He really was serious about not wanting to do this.

"Stefan we are already here." Elena told him quietly. They couldn't turn back now. "Katherine will surely out us if we don't tell them." Stefan sighed loudly running his fingers through his hair in frustration. She was right Katherine would jump at the chance to tell her parents about the marriage.

"Then lets both leave." He suggested. Elena had to admit that it didn't sound like such a bad idea though. "I've got enough money to just leave here and go away. You can be who ever you want for a year and I wouldn't bother you not once."

"We can't." She said sadly. "I'd love nothing more than to pretend what we did in Vegas didn't happen, but we can't live in fairy tale land anymore."

"I can't break your mom's heart." Stefan said with honesty. He didn't care about pissing Grayson off he only cared about hurting Miranda because she was a woman who actually did care about him besides his mistakes. She was like his second mother.

"We just have to tell them and remind them why this is such a bad idea." Elena didn't understand why he didn't want to stick to the plan. He was doing such a good job of it earlier in there.

"If they agree then we can never see each other again." Stefan said. He wasn't sure why that came out the way it did, like he was actually concerned whether he could see her again or not. "Not like it's a bad thing, but you know if we go through we won't see each other."

"Don't be ridiculous. We go to the same school." Elena was sure now that he was actually sick.

"Elena you know what I mean. If we go in here and tell them what happened and then get our marriage annulled then no one will let us within arm's length of each other. Your life will be forever monitored; I'll be banned from any family events. The two of us ever growing up and being civil once we get over our issues will not be possible. You know this right?"

The thought had crossed her mind that she would have to cut Stefan completely from her life once and for all. Even though it would hurt like hell she was willing to do it to protect herself from this marriage, to protect herself from Stefan. "Maybe it's for the best." She said quietly. They had both thought about the consequences of this marriage becoming public knowledge. If they got the help they needed then no one would ever allow them to reconcile their differences.

"This is what you want?" Stefan asked to make sure. "I'm willing to give up everything to just file for a divorce."

"I can't let you do that Stefan."

"Why? I don't want to be married to you and you don't want to be married to me. We can live our normal lives and just pretend like this never happened. You live here and I live at the boarding house. We go back to hating each other and you go back to Matt. We have the senior year we dreamed of without this drama weighing us down and then once the time comes we end this marriage. The day of graduation we can go file for divorce, I will pay for your lawyer and mine and it will be done privately. Our lives would still be intact. Elena you know this is our best option." Stefan pleaded.

Elena knew he was right about that. They could go against everything Stefan had lined up for him and keep their normal lives. She didn't want this drama and she also didn't want to break the news to her parents or Matt. Not telling her parents would still leave room in her life for Stefan and to be honest she would rather have them arguing than not have him at all. Looking at Stefan she could see the desperation in his eyes. He needed his life to not change, it was almost as if he was begging her not to make the move that would shut him out of her life for good. They were comfortable with the way things were between them. She was happy in life and he was happy as well.

"Okay." Stefan's face washed over with relief when she answered him. "We won't say anything."

"Thank you." He told her quietly. "Let's go before they question our motives."

Elena wasn't sure what she had just agreed to but she had a bad feeling that she had just made a mistake.

"Feeling better?" Miranda asked.

"Much." Stefan smiled pulling out Elena's chair for her as she sat back down. "Thank you for having me tonight. Dinner was delightful as always."

"Laying it on a little thick aren't we?" Grayson said.

"I'm sorry for my attitude before, I wasn't feeling like myself." Stefan apologized to him. "It won't happen again."

"Very well."

Desert went on and Elena was now the one staying quiet.

"So, Stefan, Damon here tells me that you will be getting your first chance to take on your role of the family business this summer." Miranda smiled at him.

Stefan in that moment realized that his dream would never be coming true now that he was going to go through with a divorce. "Yes ma'am I am. Damon here is going to show me the ins and outs of everything to know."

"As if you haven't been running the place since you were 15." Damon said proudly. "Stefan couldn't stay away from the place growing up. I swear the boy had so many great ideas to pitch in. When Zach passed away and left me in charge it was Stefan who helped me get the place back out on top. Without him The Salvatore would have fallen under."

"You're a lucky kid to be the one left with the family business." Grayson said. "Your mother loved the place. I used to come to visit your dad often and I always found her there in the office. She never once let the place feel like anything but home to everyone. I see her in you Stefan." Grayson had decided to tell Stefan that because no matter what it was true and maybe if Stefan was reminded of his mother he would start acting like the man she wanted him to be in life. Grayson didn't want Stefan getting the wrong idea though and thinking he did like him again.

Everyone at the table couldn't believe his compliment. "Thank you sir." Stefan coughed nervously looking down at his plate not knowing why the name had said that to him. No one ever spoke of his mother.

"She'd be proud of you and Damon. That place was her heart and soul." Miranda concluded. Grayson had always had a soft spot for Stefan because he adored Stefan's mother so much and he had told Miranda on many occasions that Stefan was just like her in many ways. Miranda could see the joy in Damon's eyes at the mention of Stefan being like their mother and she was proud of her husband for giving them a happy memory.

Elena couldn't take anymore. Stefan was not about to give up his life for her. He didn't deserve to lose everything he had worked so hard for in life to achieve all because of her drunken mistake with him. He was more than that. He wanted so many things from life but he couldn't do it without his part in the family business. Elena knew it was selfless of him to give it all away but she was done being selfish with him. She was ready to sacrifice her happiness for his own, in the end the truth was they wouldn't be married if it wasn't for her toying with his heart. She knew he remembered that night just as well as she did and the marriage was anything but a regret at the moment. They were not two sex crazed teenagers who were drunk.

"Stefan and I got married last week in Vegas." Elena blurted out before she could even stop herself. Everything went silent in the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Stefan's laughter soon filled the room. He was laughing uncontrollably now because he couldn't help himself. This had to have been a joke. Elena was playing a sick joke on him. Not even minutes ago was she promising to help keep this a secret and here she was screwing everything up. No one else was speaking only watching Stefan laugh like a lunatic and Elena had this look of shock on her face like she couldn't believe she just said that. She opened her mouth a few times to form a sentence to try to take back what she said, but the look on her parent's faces let her know they had heard her correctly. Katherine already had her phone out snapping photos of their dad while Damon tried to stop her unsuccessfully.

"Elena why would you say such a crazy thing? You are with Matt." Stefan asked turning to Elena once he calmed his laughter down. He wanted her to fix this. "Miranda I think your daughter has sneaked the wine." Stefan laughed again. He felt the walls closing in on him at this moment. Elena was sinking their ship without warning. They were going down and they were going down fast. "Elena what the hell are you saying?" Stefan whispered to her where she could only hear. Elena's eyes met his and she could see his fear, but it was time for her to stop hurting him and to let him have what he worked so hard for growing up.

Elena shook her head. "Mom, dad I got married in Vegas." Elena said again. Stefan was shaking his head as he looked at everyone at the table.

"She's on something." Stefan concluded. "Elena's crazy!"

Grayson's eyes narrowed in on Stefan and he was not happy with him. Not with what Elena said and not with him calling his daughter crazy.

"Elena's..." Stefan tried to say something again but he knew there was no excuse to come up with. No one would believe him anyways. "Elena stop this." Stefan begged. "It's not funny, so please explain to your parents that you wanted to play a joke on them." Stefan whispered. "Yeah that's what it was a joke!" Stefan said loudly. "Elena came to me and formed this whole plan that she wanted to play this joke on you guys. Turns out it's not funny." He faked a laugh again. "Yep totally not funny at all."

"Joke is over Elena." Grayson said not amused at all by the two. He was hoping that Stefan was right and that his daughter was trying to play some cruel joke on them.

Damon and Katherine were filling up their glasses with wine and handed the bottle to Jenna and Ric. Jenna was just as stunned but she could see it happening. Elena stared at her parents and then met Stefan's eyes. He was helpless in this moment. His green eyes were brightly shinning because she could see they were about to glaze over with tears. Her own set of tears were forming as well. They were in trouble.

"I can't let you throw it all away for me." She whispered. "I'm not worth it."

Damon was the one in shock now because Stefan was going to throw away everything he had ever worked for. Not even Damon would give that up for love and Katherine knew it.

"You don't have to do this." He told her softly.

"Yes I do." She nodded feeling her hot tears stream down her cheeks. "It's my turn to fix things this time. You have dreamed of running The Salvatore since I could remember. Your mother wanted it for you and I will not take away her last wish for you. Not even I can be that heartless towards you no matter what you did to me."

Stefan felt a lone tear fall from his eye and Elena reached up to wipe it away but out of reflex Stefan turned his face away from her so she barely brushed his cheek. It was an interaction that did not go unnoticed by anyone at the table.

"It's going to be okay." She promised ready to take her parents on.

"Would someone tell me what in the hell is going on?" Grayson shouted startling everyone. He was slowly losing his temper with his teenage daughter and her ex-boyfriend.

Elena swallowed the lump in her throat and prepared herself to face the war with him. Stefan was at a loss for words. Elena was going to take a stand for him against her parents over something they could have avoided. He didn't know what to do at this time anymore. Elena never went up against her parents on anything.

"Stefan and I got married while we were away and it was a stupid, stupid mistake. Both of us were highly intoxicated. I had a fight with Matt and one thing led to another and well here we are." Elena said hoping that would be a good enough explanation because going into detail about the night would only mean admitting that she remembered.

"I'm sorry but I don't think we heard you right." Miranda's voice was still surprisingly calm.

"Holy shit they really are married!" Jenna said rather loudly with a shocked expression on her face. She had no clue this was what the two were hiding. "Did Elvis marry you?" Jenna spoke before she could think. Grayson and Miranda sent her a glare that let her know that she needed to put her foot in her mouth.

"Jenna not now." Ric muttered. He was just as stunned as her.

"Those two are in deep shit." Jenna was now just talking out loud and when Ric elbowed her she realized her statement wasn't said in her head like she thought.

"I think I...no I know we need more wine." Ric said standing grabbing Jenna and heading for the kitchen. He needed to get out of there and fast before Jenna got them both in trouble with her mouth.

"Oh no wine isn't going to cut it! Where is the tequila?" Jenna said as she walked into the kitchen. She needed to process this. "My niece is married." Jenna said leaning against the counter while Ric searched for something strong to drink. He was too on edge already to begin with and now the two teens had to go and give everyone a heart attack. "Ric my niece got married before I did."

"Oh great lets start with who got married before us again. Trust me in your book everyone in Virgina got married before you." Ric rolled his eyes pouring them up a drink.

"Hey I'm only kidding." She told him standing on her tip toes to kiss him softly. "But seriously how does that happen?"

"I don't know you want to eavesdrop on them and figure it out?" Ric shrugged.

"Um hell yeah I do!" Jenna grinned. She was a kid at heart and didn't mind one bit dropping in on the private conversation. If Katherine got to sit through it then she got to listen in. Besides Stefan was like her little brother anyways she needed to know how it happened and why the hell she didn't know about it before Katherine and Damon. Ric and Jenna stood close to the wall where they couldn't be seen but could still listen in closely.

Nothing was being said at the moment. There was just a lot of staring going on.

"Elena please tell me this is just some sick joke you are playing. Tell me you did not marry him?" Grayson said calmly.

Elena shook her head. "It's all true daddy."

"Jeremy room now." Katherine said liking where this was going now. She had a good video earlier of Stefan laughing and accusing Elena of being on drugs. She would be replaying it later for a good laugh.

"Katherine out now." Miranda said in the same tone Katherine had spoken to Jeremy in.

"Mom I already…" Damon slapped his hand over her mouth. No need to throw them under the bus as well. Miranda would be heated if she knew Damon and Katherine knew all along about the mirage.

"That's our cue to find more wine." Damon smiled pulling Katherine with him. "Jeremy join us."

Jeremy didn't dare stick around for this one. Damon bumped into Jenna and Ric when he marched into the kitchen trying to get out of the lion's cage back there.

"What the hell?" Damon asked looking at them as they tried to play off like they weren't listening.

"We were...we were trying to figure out what color paint this was." Ric said while Damon shook his head with annoyance at the two.

"Yeah I've been thinking about remodeling." Jenna smiled as Katherine rolled her eyes. Jeremy laughed.

"Elena's in some deep shit huh?" Jeremy asked.

Jenna playfully slapped his shoulder. "Don't say shit." Jeremy shrugged as he waited for an answer. "But yes Elena is probably going to be in a lot of trouble." Jenna couldn't imagine what kind of trouble Elena was going to be in. How did you punish your daughter for getting married? It wasn't an everyday topic parents usually had to discuss.

"Sweet!" Jeremy laughed again. "Maybe mom and dad will buy me that new game I've wanted now that Elena screwed up. It used to work all the time with you Kat."

Katherine narrowed her eyes at him. Jeremy was right about that. Usually when Katherine made a big mistake the parents rewarded her brother and sister in hopes that they wouldn't turn out just as bad. "Mom and dad are going to be so pissed they probably won't speak to any of us for days." Katherine went and grabbed the bottle of rum Ric had previously found.

"Speak for yourself." Jenna followed her actions. "You knew about it we didn't"

"Whatever." Katherine knew her parents were probably going to be displeased with her hiding this from them for a week. She was just thankful she was already moved out and could avoid them until they got over it.

"They're scared shitless out there." Damon said in a concerned voice. Jenna was shocked to hear it along with everyone else. Damon and Katherine were usually numb to anyone else's feelings so seeing Damon worried about his brother was strange. "Stefan has a lot to lose if this doesn't go down the right way."

"I'm sure everything will work out. My sister would never let anything happen to Stefan or Elena that could ruin their futures." Jenna assured him.

"So did they happen to say why they got married in Vegas?" Ric was still curious about that.

Damon shook his head and Katherine looked disinterested in the conversation. It didn't matter why they got married, the fact was that they did it and there was no taking it back.

"It's obvious Stefan and Elena are still in love." Jenna said.

"Oh please how can you be so Team Stefan knowing what he did to her?" Katherine asked.

Damon cut his eyes at her. "You're one to talk."

"We are not discussing us." Katherine warned him.

"So does this mean Elena is moving out?" Jeremy asked deciding to change the subject not wanting to witness a Damon and Katherine fight. Those usually got pretty vicious. They weren't entertaining like when Jenna and Ric would argue or Stefan and Elena. "I'd like to turn her room into a game room."

Everyone laughed at his idea and shook their heads because they honestly had no clue what was going to happen in the next 24 hours. Elena was in more trouble than anyone else had ever been in. Damon wasn't sure how he was supposed to punish his brother for this. maybe he'd have to follow whatever example Grayson and Miranda were setting.

"Elena, Stefan I am giving one of you the option to tell us the whole truth." Miranda looked at both of them. If looks could kill they would be in their graves by now.

Grayson was quietly fuming. He was trying not to reach across the table and snap the boy's neck who married his daughter.

"We were in California as you know." Elena was starting her story. "We had two days left and well Stefan has always wanted to go to Vegas and we figured with all of us being so close that we would just catch a bus up there. That's what we did and once we arrived we got a hotel with Stefan's fake ID. The drinking began and we decided to head out to a club or two. The place was serving anyone who could make it through the door. All of us were drinking and dancing. Matt and I had been on bad terms since the trip began because he was upset about a conversation he overheard Stefan and I having one night when we thought no one was around.

Miranda and Grayson were growing more and more irritated with the two as the story went on. Not only were the married but they broke their trust and went to Vegas!

"What in the hell were you two doing in Vegas?" Grayson asked through his teeth.

"What exactly did he hear?" Miranda questioned her ignoring Grayson's question. Elena looked at Stefan for some help on this. He nodded his head and decided he would answer her question. Elena wasn't exactly proud of her actions. "Stefan?"

"Mrs. Gilbert I'm sorry for the chaos of this and for what we did."

"Stefan we will get to your apologies later. Right now I want to know what Matt overheard." Details were crucial at this point because Miranda needed an explanation of her daughter's want to get married.

"Elena and I haven't exactly been honest with anyone since our breakup." Stefan stopped trying to find the right words to make them understand. "You see we do not get along just like everyone knows" He tried to make clear for them to understand. "But we also at times have these unresolved feelings and they get the best of us. We act on impulse without thinking and we hurt the people who care about us with our selfishness, mainly Matt. What he overheard that night was a private conversation between Elena and I or so we wanted it to be." Stefan said as he and Elena's mind drifted off to the memory of that night not so long ago.

_Everyone was at the hotel swimming pool just enjoying the night. It was late and they had all just gotten back from a club. Lexi had suggested a late night swim which everyone had agreed to. Caroline was on top of Tyler's shoulder's. While Bonnie was on Matt's, they were playing a game of chicken. Stefan was sitting on the stairs in the pool drinking his beer watching everyone around him. Lexi and Elena were sitting at a table beside the pool drinking some concoction Lexi had mixed them up. They had just gotten out of the pool after both being beaten by Matt and Bonnie. Stefan wasn't sure what they were talking about but he knew it had to do with him by the way Elena was making eye contact with him every few seconds and by the way that Lexi squeezed her hand in a comforting way. Stefan could only imagine what the conversation was consisting of but he assumed it probably had to do with the love triangle taking place between him and his best friend and a girl he once loved. Stefan watched all his friends carelessly enjoy themselves like nothing was wrong in the world. Stefan wanted to be in that moment just enjoying himself as well but he couldn't, not tonight. His mind was all over the place and had been for a while now. He was tired. He was tired of fighting. _

_"You okay?" Lexi asked surprising him with her appearance as she sat down beside him on the steps slowly easing into the water. _

_"Yeah I'm fine." Stefan smiled trying to reassure her that he was okay. _

_"You don't seem fine, something has been off with you." Stefan sighed shaking his head. Lexi always was worried about him even when he wished that she would just let things go he knew she wouldn't._

_"Just been thinking lately."_

_"About?" Lexi asked him waiting for an answer that never came but Stefan's eyes answered for him when they fell on Elena who had just jumped into the pool and was wrapping her arms around Matt's neck giving him a victory kiss. "You have to stop torturing yourself." Lexi told him in a quiet voice. She didn't want anyone else to hear their conversation. Lexi was the only one who knew the truth. "Stefan you two are only going to hurt him in the end."_

_"I told her to make a decision." Stefan said hanging his head. _

_Lexi gasped as she heard his statement. She looked at Elena as she saw she was looking at Stefan and their was a guilty look in her eyes. "She didn't pick you."_

_Stefan shook his head getting up out of the pool. He didn't want to talk about this here where she was so close with Matt. He had put on a strong front for a while now especially after Elena told him her answer. He hadn't really expected her to dump Matt and come running back to him after all they had been through. It's not like Stefan had been even ideal after the breakup. Stefan picked up another beer and sat at the table Elena and Lexi had previously occupied. _

_"She hasn't exactly picked." He told Lexi._

_"What do you mean she hasn't picked?"_

_"It was two nights ago when we were all at Tyler's party. Elena and I had spent a few nights together over the summer as you know already, but it was the week we spent with Jenna and Ric."_

_"When they were in New York?" Lexi questioned him. She had known about the trip and she knew how Stefan was dreading it and so was Elena but they both didn't have the heart to tell Jenna and Ric no so they agreed to go. Ric was going for a workshop deal and Jenna was tagging along but she wanted the company of her two favorite people. After much convincing she had the two agreeing to go. Jenna's only request was that the don't fight. Stefan wasn't one to ever disrespect Jenna's wishes so he didn't once pick a fight with Elena, but that didn't mean they still didn't bicker. _

_Jenna was satisfied for the most part with the trip because the four of them really did end up enjoying themselves. Stefan and Elena more so than them. "At first I was so angry with Jenna for dragging me along with Elena but after the first two days we kind of just clicked again and everything was peaceful. Jenna would go out with Ric during the day sometimes and just leave Elena and I alone. I think it was her own secret was to force her to talk. So we did, we talked for hours and went out exploring the town. Lexi I had the best time of my life on that trip. I felt like things were back to normal again. We were together and not fighting, she was smiling and laughing like she used to. Not this fake stuff she does now."_

_"What happened?"_

_"The same thing that always happens. I beg her to forgive me and just let the past be the past. I told her I wanted a future with her if she was willing to forgive me, but if she wasn't then we just needed to call it quits. I didn't want to keep seeing her behind Matt's back. All summer long we had been sneaking around and I was just tired of it. New York opened my eyes and I just wanted to fix what I had broken."_

_"Wait you two have been seeing each other all summer?" She asked with disbelief._

_Stefan nodded. "We left for New York right after we got out of school for the year and when we got back we were still on good terms. We agreed at first to just forget the whole tripped happened because we didn't want anyone to know. A week went by before we cracked and had to see each other again. We went out a lot at night after everyone was asleep and we would just talk or ride around for hours. It didn't matter what we were doing we were together and it felt right. Things were going so good between us I could tell that she was starting to let her guard down more around me. I was letting my own down as well and I didn't want to let her go anymore. I didn't want to see her with Matt. So i told her she had to pick. It was me or him. I told her she was still just as in love with me as she was then and that I was tired of sharing her with one of my best friends."_

_"What did she do?"_

_Stefan sighed bringing the beer to his lips again as he looked out at the pool at Elena and Matt. " It was at Tyler's party and I got her alone and told her she had to pick. That I didn't want to be apart of this anymore. I told her I wanted a future with her, but she had to forgive me and let the past be the past so we could move on. She loves me Lexi." He smiled sadly. "But I broke her heart so for now I just have to wait."_

_Lexi felt so bad for her friend. It was obvious that the two still longed to be with one another but too much had happened. They both needed to figure out what they wanted and how to move on from it either with or without one another. Lexi had really hoped it would be with, but she wouldn't get her hopes up. "At least you can say you tried." Lexi stood up to hug him "I'm proud that you tried, but you can't wait forever Stefan."_

_Stefan nodded and let Lexi go as she put on a big smile joining everyone again. Stefan figured he might as well put on a show and join the fun. He didn't need anyone getting curious of his odd behavior. Eventually everyone made their way to their respective rooms but Stefan lingered around at the pool not wanting to call it a night just yet. He still wanted to try and clear his head so he could handle the rest of this trip. He needed to be able to think straight if he was going to have to endure watching Elena be with Matt for five days straight. _

_"What's with Stefan?" Bonnie asked Elena as they headed towards their hotel room. They were sharing a room with Caroline and Lexi while the guys all shared a room. Lexi and Caroline had raced back to the room trying to beat each other to the shower. Matt and Tyler were already in their room._

_Elena shrugged and looked down at the pool where Stefan was sitting with his feet dangling in the water. _

_"He has seemed lost in his thoughts today." Bonnie was one to always pick up on everything and Stefan's behavior was not going unnoticed by her. "Is there something going on with him?"_

_Elena shook her head not liking the guilt that was washing over her. "He's just brooding for no reason I'm sure."_

_"Or maybe he has finally realized what he lost." Bonnie pointed out. She was no fool to Stefan's feelings for Elena. "I'm going to bed." Bonnie sighed knowing Elena was keeping something from her. Stefan and Elena had been acting weird around each other all summer and she hadn't quite figured it out yet but she was determined to soon though. _

_"I'll be there in a minute. I'm going to call Jenna and see how she's doing she called me earlier." Elena lied to her best friend who just nodded before slipping into their hotel room. Elena made her way down to the pool where she sat down beside Stefan dipping her feet into the water. _

_"What are you doing?" Stefan asked her not bother to look at her just yet._

_"Your moodiness is starting to make people worried." Elena told him taking his beer from his hands and bringing it to her own lips. "You mind telling me why all of the sudden you are brooding."_

_Stefan turned his head towards her and his green eyes are showing just how exhausted he was. He was tired of it all. He was tired of their fighting. "You know we don't have to be this way. Matt will understand if you just explain to him what's be going on."_

_Elena took another sip of the beer. "Stefan I already told you I didn't want to talk about that while on this trip. I just want to enjoy it with the people that I love." She told him handing him back his beer. _

_Stefan shook his head slipping down into the water. "You'll never want to talk about it unless I force you to."_

_She sighed heavily as he went under water and came back up after a few seconds moving himself to where he could stand between her legs to look up at her. "You'd never force me to do anything." Elena spoke softly as she ran her fingers through his wet hair playing with it. "What do you suppose we do if I break up with Matt and he finds out about what we have done behind his back? He'd never speak to either one of us again for breaking his heart and I'm not going to hurt him like that."_

_Stefan looked back up at her taking her hands into his and pulling her into the pool with him. He had her against the wall so she couldn't get away from him. "What about your heart?" He whispered to her. They were so close that he was aching to just touch her. _

_"I love Matt." She said as if she was trying to convince herself of her words._

_Stefan nodded resting his forehead against hers. "I know you do, but it's not enough for you."_

_"Stefan." Elena whispered as she pushed him back slightly so she could have a clear thought. "I know you want me to pick but I just can't."_

_"Is it because of what happened? Elena I told you that night was all a misunderstanding. I can promise you that nothing like that will ever happen again. You can trust me."_

_"It's not that easy." _

_"It doesn't have to be this hard either." Stefan pointed out as he pushed back a strand of her wet hair. "We don't have to fight anymore."_

_"We have to stop."_

_Stefan sighed heavily shaking his head as he rested his head on her shoulder. He was feeling so vulnerable. "I know we do." He whispered kissing her shoulder. "We have to stop before someone gets hurt." He repeated Lexi's words. He was coming to the conclusion that it was him that would end up with the broken heart in the end but maybe he deserved it for breaking her's first._

_Elena wrapped her arms around him kissing the top of his head. She hated this but she just couldn't forgive him yet. Not when it still hurt to think about. "Come one lets go to bed before they come looking for us." She didn't need Matt or anyone else seeing them like this. Stefan nodded giving her one last squeeze before pulling back to look into her eyes. She looked just as broken as he did. He climbed out of the pool as she followed. Both toweled off in silence not sure what to say. _

_Walking back up to their rooms Stefan grabbed Elena's hand making her look up at him. "I meant what I said in New York this summer it wasn't just about the sex for me Elena."_

_Elena could feel the tears coming on because she knew he was telling the truth. "I know you were Stefan, but..."_

_Stefan put his finger to her lips silencing her as he moved in closer. "You can't deny what we have any longer. I can't forget what happened." Stefan was slowly backing her up against her hotel door. "I've waited so patiently for you to figure this out, for you to forgive me."_

_"You haven't exactly been sitting around waiting for me." Elena told him. "In fact wasn't there some blonde you were with when we got home from New York?"_

_"You ran straight back to Matt." Stefan rose his voice. "After everything that happened you pretended none of it did as soon as you saw him. How did you expect me to react? Did you want me to cry over you?"_

_Elena was growing angry with him as she shoved him back from her. "No I wanted you to prove to me that you weren't the same Stefan who broke my heart!"_

_"Well you are the same old Elena who runs to Matt every time something goes wrong between us!" Stefan stepped closer to her again determined for her not to push him away. "Tell me you don't love me."_

_Elena shook her head as Stefan grabbed her hands and laced his fingers with hers. _

_"Tell me New York wasn't the best time of your life, that what we did wasn't real." He was so close to her now that his breath was literally her breath. "Tell me that when we made love that you didn't feel a thing." He whispered about to close the gap between their lips._

_"You did what in New York?" They heard Matt's angry voice as Stefan stepped away from Elena realizing what all he probably just heard. _

_"Matt." Elena whispered trying to compose herself. "It's not what you think."_

_Matt shook his head as he felt hot tears beginning to form. "How could you! You slept with him while in New York? I can't be around you anymore." Matt said as he began to walk off. Elena went to follow him until Stefan stopped her by grabbing her hand. _

_"Elena what about my heart?"_

_Elena looked at their joined hands and then back up at his pleading eyes before slipping her hand out of his. "I'm sorry Stefan, New York was a mistake." Stefan felt his heart breaking all over again as he watched her go after Matt to fix what she had broken. He promised himself that after tonight he would never let Elena back into his heart again. If she wanted to pick Matt he'd let her have him. _


	7. Chapter 7

"So over heard the two of you?" Miranda asked making sure she was correct in what she heard. Stefan had left out most of the details feeling that Miranda and Grayson did not need to know just how many times Elena had cheated on Matt. "But you were with Matt when you went to New York." Miranda wasn't mad that her daughter and had slipped up with Stefan she had half expected something like this to happen when they went to New York.

"Great they threw us under the bus." Jenna muttered when she heard the short story Stefan gave them.

"I told you it would come out!" Ric sighed rolling his eyes at her. Of course it would come out and now Grayson would probably be having a talk with the two about how they should be more responsible adults.

"I was." Elena agreed. "I never planned on even getting along with Stefan in New York but it just happened and before we knew it we just ended up together."

"Together, together?" Grayson asked.

"Dad please don't make me answer questions like that." Elena begged.

"Grayson that is not the point right now." Miranda said. "What is the point that our daughter has cheated on Matt and it seems like it has been going on for a while now."

"Has it?" Grayson asked.

Elena didn't want to answer and Stefan didn't know what to say in fear for his life. "Yes, it's been going on since I got with Matt. Stefan and I occasionally find ourselves together."

"How could you hurt Matt?" Grayson asked. "He has never been nothing but good to you. Do you know he asked me if he could marry you one day and I gave him my blessing?"

"He what?" Stefan nearly yelled. Elena couldn't marry him, well technically not now because she was already married to him. That gave Stefan little comfort.

"What about what I want?" Elena asked. "I never said I wanted to get married right away!" She knew it was laughable considering her certain situation.

"Well looks like you were ready to marry Stefan with or without our blessing." Grayson said with venom in his voice. "Do you know what you have just done? This boy right here broke your heart and you continued to be deceitful and see him behind everyone's back. Now you are married to him. Do you honestly think he is ever going to change?"

"I get it I'm a bad guy blah blah blah." Stefan was angry. "I did hurt your daughter and that is why I am here asking for you two to allow us to annul this marriage."

Grayson stood up glaring at Stefan. "How dare you come into my home and disrespect me! You want to roll around in the sheets with my daughter, get her drunk and take advantage of that and do something so stupid as to marry her and then come and ask me to make it go away! My daughter is better than you, she deserves so much more from life than a man like you. I would never allow Elena to be stuck with someone like you for the rest of her life. I will not curse her to the same hell that your mother was cursed to with your father."

At that comment Stefan was standing almost knocking the table over with him. He was fuming. Elena had never in her life seen either man this made. "Shut your damn mouth." Stefan warned him. "You know nothing!"

"I see more and more of your father in you each day Stefan." Grayson looked on at him not backing down. "I know you see it too, I can see the fear in your eyes. You don't want to be nothing like him but you can't stop it from happening because you already are a version of him."

Stefan charged at the older man shoving the man backwards.

"Stefan!" Elena screamed as her and her mother ran towards the two men. Damon and Ric entered the room to pull the two apart. Damon had Stefan wrapped up.

"Grayson I swear to God you ever say something like that again then I won't stop. I am nothing like my father! I am nothing like him!" Stefan had tears streaming down his face. Elena could not believe that her father had gone that far. It was known around town how horrible their father could be towards their mom. He only got worse after her death, but no one ever dared to tell the brothers that they resembled their father on the inside. It was a low blow and it was one that Elena could not forgive. She may have had her on battle with Stefan going on but when it came to something like this she would always pick him.

"It's okay." Damon told Stefan. "I got ya." Damon walked with Stefan outside.

"I never thought you could be like that dad. I always admired how well you dealt with Damon and Stefan considering their dad's past, but that was uncalled for. No one deserves to be treated so unkindly." Elena said.

Grayson knew he had gone too far in the heat of the moment. He was just so angry and did not want his daughter to live a life in misery. "Elena I'm so sorry." Grayson's voice was full of regret. "I can't believe I just said that." He felt awful for his outburst and knew that it was very uncalled for because Stefan was nothing like his father. Grayson knew that much.

"Just so you know I was the one who asked him to marry me that night." Elena told him before walking away.

"Grayson I think you need to calm down and then talk to Stefan." Miranda softly told him. "I'm sorry dinner was ruined." Miranda apologized to the other guests.

"Oh no this is better than cable." Katherine laughed as Ric elbowed her in the ribs.

"Kat." Miranda scolded her. "Go after your sister."

"Do I always have to be the baby sitter?"

"It's the big sister's job." Jenna smiled remembering all the times Miranda took care of her. "Ric and I are just going to head out. Take it easy on them, I think they really belong together. Just my opinion." Jenna quickly added heading out the house.

"Stefan he didn't mean it." Elena said trying to keep the two Salvatores calm in her driveway. Stefan was no longer angry but Damon was seething. Katherine came outside and wrapped her arms around Damon hoping to offer him some comfort in her arms but it was no use.

"Katherine I have half a mind to rip your dad's head off." Damon said pushing her away from him. He looked at Stefan to see just how completely zoned out he was to the world. "Are you okay brother?" Damon asked placing his hand on his shoulder. Stefan's eyes moved from Elena to Damon. Damon could see the regret there, the guilt and shame over the event that just took place moments before. Stefan never was good at handling guilt and Damon knew that better than anyone. "You're nothing like him." Damon spoke quietly.

Stefan shrugged Damon's hand off but Damon didn't take it personally. Stefan was still shaken up and didn't want to be touched. "I should apologize." Stefan ran his hands over his face.

"He should be the one apologizing." Damon said with anger still clear in his voice. "You don't owe him a thing tonight."

"Damon." Elena scolded him she didn't care who was in the wrong Grayson was still her dad and even though he made a mistake she wouldn't let him be disrespected after their stunt in Vegas. She owed him some respect.

"Oh don't act so high and mighty Elena." Damon's icy stare met hers. "If it wasn't for you we wouldn't be here today. So if there is someone to blame for that outburst in there its you." Damon said. Elena's eyes flashed to anger quickly at his statement.

"Damon." Katherine said in a warning tone.

"No." Damon snapped his neck to look at her before looking back at Elena. "If Elena here would have just left my brother alone then none of us would be here tonight. She toyed with his emotions!" Of course Damon knew his brother was still in love with the girl and he knew how Stefan had fought like hell to get her back for her only to date Matt. Damon had heard the two coming and going in the middle of the night when they thought he was sound asleep. He had over heard countless conversations and arguments. Damon was tired of seeing his brother endure this heartache any longer for a girl who would never pick him in the end. Stefan was good at covering it up but Damon could see through it all. He was after all his brother.

"That's not true." Elena spoke up for herself not believing what he was saying. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

"Oh you didn't? Then please tell me why you've toyed with my brother all summer leading him on only to give him false hope. You fucked him over."

"Damon that's enough." Stefan finally found his voice when he realized what was going on in front of him. Damon knew everything now and he was putting pieces together of the summer, all Stefan's mood swings when Elena would leave to be with Matt and all of Stefan's happy days when Elena was with him instead of the blonde. Stefan stepped forward to stand in between Damon and Elena to show Damon that he would not be talking to Elena anymore about that topic.

"Elena I'm sorry." Damon sighed with frustration. He never apologized for anything. "I just can't stand to see Stefan get hurt. You know I love you." Damon stepped around Stefan to hug Elena. "Besides we're family now." He smirked kissing her cheek. Elena tried to smile but couldn't. Damon was right she had toyed with Stefan all summer. "I'll see you at home Stefan." Damon said before opening Katherine's door to help her in.

"Tell dad I'll be over tomorrow to have a word." Katherine said before getting in.

Elena and Stefan stood silently for a few moments before Stefan broke the silence. "Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Elena asked.

"Just blurt that shit out in there? We had a game plan and you ruined it with your big mouth!" Stefan raised his voice.

"Oh excuse me for thinking about you and your future!"

"I didn't ask you to! I asked you to be on my side for once and you crossed me and put me on spot in there."

"Stefan I did what was best!"

"No you did what was best for you Elena like you always do! You are so selfish sometimes that it's unreal. You think that just because of what happened between us that you can get away with doing whatever the hell you want to anyone, especially me but you can't. That little confession back there to your parents just started a whole new war thanks to you. Your dad has every right to be angry with me but it all could have been avoided if you would have just stuck to the plan like we talked about. When are you ever going to learn?"

"When am I going to learn? Stefan I didn't fall your stupid plan" Elena air quoted the word plan with her fingers. "because it was just that stupid! You think I have to follow your every command because you assume you know best but I went with my gut. I'm sorry if you can't understand that I wanted to save your future for you. I was being unselfish by telling them the truth tonight. I put myself on the line just so you could follow some stupid dream of running the family business one day. So I'm sorry for putting your needs in front of my own you ungrateful bastard!"

Stefan laughed sarcastically shaking his head. "No matter what unselfish acts you think you do it still doesn't change a thing Elena. Maybe the next unselfish thing you can put on your list is to tell your boyfriend what a cheater you are, it would be totally best for him to know who's bed you've been in all along behind his back."

"Go to hell Stefan." Elena said through gritted teeth trying to fight back her tears. She knew he was just angry and upset about everything but she hated when they argued like this because his words cut like a knife.

Stefan smirked walking past her not looking back as he got into his car and sped away. Elena composed herself before walking back inside her house to take her parents on again for round two she assumed.

"Elena." They called her name.

"Can I please go to bed?" She asked.

"Is he okay?" Grayson asked.

"He's fine." Elena grumbled. She regretted taking his side to begin with now after how he just acted.

"I am sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. Damon was really upset with you tonight, more so than Stefan was." Elena sighed crossing her arms over her chest staring at her parents.

"What can I do to make this up to you?" Grayson pleaded.

"Get my annulment for us. I'm sure Stefan will pretend tonight never happened if you do that for us. I can't stand to be around him for another second longer so please just save me."

"There has to be reason why you married him." Miranda said not understanding her daughter's actions.

Elena shrugged. "I was drunk, asked him to marry me, bought him a ring, and found a chapel."

"You bought him a ring?" Her mom asked.

"Yep because I checked my bank account and it is down to my last penny. Look I made a mistake, I cheated on Matt, I did the unthinkable. I was acting out and when I get drunk Stefan clouds my judgment. I was lost in a moment and I wanted him. I wanted to prove something to him and myself. The whole getting married thing is still kind of a blur and I don't remember those exact reasons but they are reasons I can't take back. I want to try again though. I want to start over with Matt. I need a clean slate. Stefan deserves to be free of me. All I do is hold him back just toying with his heart when I get mad at Matt. You want to blame him but really I am the one to blame. He does everything to make me hate him and I return the favor but the truth is he has been the only one to help me through my struggles. Last year when the cheer squad was cutting school and we got busted Stefan stood up for us and stopped the principle from expelling us. Then whenever Jeremy got caught smoking pot with Vicki behind the bleachers Stefan was the one who took the fall for him saying it was his pot. Dad you don't know everything he has done for us. I am the selfish one in this. Yes, I'm still angry and yes I cannot forgive what he did but he deserves respect from you. My problem with Stefan is not yours. I am asking you as your daughter, a girl who made a major mistake to help us." With that Elena walked upstairs leaving her parents to think over what she had said.

"Grayson we owe him." Miranda told her husband.

"I'm getting their marriage annulled and first thing tomorrow I'm talking with Stefan."

"Maybe you should let him cool off. Katherine is not happy with you as of now."

"You're right, but I'm calling the justice of the peace tomorrow and fixing this mistake." Grayson kissed his wife's forehead before heading towards their bedroom. Miranda sighed while shaking her head. Her daughter had made a huge mistake and she wasn't sure this was something she would recover from. The whole Stefan situation confused her. There was something behind their break up that Miranda did not quite understand, it was sudden and Elena seemed to move on very quickly from it. She wasn't sure what to do about the two but she knew she would not ever do anything like she did tonight. Stefan was just a boy who had no parents and Grayson had crossed the line. Grayson had once loved Stefan like his own son but things had took a turn for the worse after Elena broke things off with him and it changed Stefan greatly. He was no longer the sweet boy that stole their daughter's heart for the first time. No, now he was the boy who did whatever he could to make her skin crawl with anger. Miranda hated it, but she could not save them…or could she?


End file.
